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THE PIRATE, 


AND 


THE THREE CUTTERS. 


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CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. 

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FROM DRAWINGS BY 


CLARKSON STANFIELD, ESQ. R.A. 


A. FULLARTON AND CO. 


106, NEWGATE STREET, LONDON ; 07, ABBEY STREET, DUBLIN ; 


STEAD'S PLACE, LEITH WALK, AND 5, NICHOLSON STREET, EDINBURGH. 


MDCCCXLV. 



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PRIMED BY «Iti.!AM WII.C0CK80S, ROLLS BOII.EISM KEXTE* LAKE. 






CONTENTS 



%ty pirate. 



I. THE BAY OF BISCAY 
II. THE BACHELOR 

III. THE GALE 

IV. THE LEAK 
V. THE OLD MAID 

VI. THE MIDSHIPMAN 
VII. SLEEPER'S BAY 
VIII. THE ATTACK . 
IX. THE CAPTURE 
X. THE SAND-BANK 
XL THE ESCAPE 
XII. THE LIEUTENANT 

XIII. THE LANDING 

XIV. THE MEETING 
XV. THE MISTAKE 

XVI. THE CAICOS 
XVII. THE TRIAL . 
XVI1L CONCLUSION 



TAKK 

1 
U 

25 

33 

45 

57 

66 

83 

95 

121 
131 
146 
156 
175 
192 
208 
227 
243 



®l)t Zfyxet ©titters. 

I. CUTTER THE FIRST . 263 

II. CUTTER THE SECOND 203 

HI. CUTTER THE THIRD 294 

IV. PORTLAND BILL 305 

V. THE TRAVESTIE 320 

VI. THE SMUGGLING YACHT 337 

VII. CONCLUSION 348 



LIST OF PLATES, 



FACE 

THE MAST-HEADED MIDSHIPMAN (Title) . . . Vide 02 

CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R. N. (Frontispiece) 

THE BAY OF BISCAY 8 

CUTTING AWAY THE MA§TS . . . . . . . 31 

ABANDONING THE CIRCASSIAN ...... 43 

SLEEPER'S BAY 67 

THE DECK OF THE AVENGER 74 

THE CAPTURE 94 

DESTRUCTION OF THE 1NDIAMAN 106 

THE SAND BANK 130 

ESCAPE ON THE RAFT 139 

THE SHIP ON FIRE 142 

RESCUING THE CREW FROM THE BURNING VESSEL . . 144 

THE RETREAT OF THE PIRATES 173 

THE WRECK OF THE AVENGER 216 

CAVE OF THE CAICOS 220 

CAIN IN THE CAVERN . 250 

/THE ARROW AT PLYMOUTH 263 

THE ACTIVE AT PORTSMOUTH 2U3 

THE HAPPY-GO-LUCKY AT ST. MALOES 297 



THE PIRATE 



CHAPTER I. 

THE BAY OF BISCAY. 

It was in the latter part of the month of June, 
of the year 179-, that the angry waves of the Bay 
of Biscay were gradually subsiding, after a gale of 
wind as violent as it was unusual during that period 
of the year. Still they rolled heavily ; and, at times, 
the wind blew up in fitful, angry gusts, as if it would 
fain renew the elemental combat; but each effort was 
more feeble, and the dark clouds which had been 
summoned to the storm, now fled in every quarter 
before the powerful rays of the sun, who burst their 
masses asunder with a glorious flood of light and 
heat: and, as he poured down his resplendent beams, 
piercing deep into the waters of that portion of the 
Atlantic to which we now refer, with the exception 
of one object, hardly visible, as at creation, there was 
a vast circumference of water, bounded by the fancied 
canopy of heaven. We have said, with the exception 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



of one object ; for in the centre of this picture, so 
simple, yet so sublime, composed of the three great 
elements, there was a remnant of the fourth. We say 
a remnant, for it was but the hull of a vessel, dis- 
masted, water-logged, its upper works only floating 
occasionally above the waves, when a transient repose 
from their still violent undulation permitted it to re- 
assume its buoyancy. But this was seldom ; one 
moment it was deluged by the seas, which broke as 
they poured over its gunwale; and the next, it rose 
from its submersion, as the water escaped from the 
port-holes at its sides. 

How many thousands of vessels — how many millions 
of property — have been abandoned, and eventually 
consigned to the all-receiving depths of the ocean, 
through ignorance or through fear ! What a mine of 
wealth must lie buried in its sands, what riches lie 
entangled amongst its rocks, or remain suspended in 
its unfathomable gulf, where the compressed fluid is 
equal in gravity to that which it encircles, there to 
remain secured in its embedment from corruption and 
decay, until the destruction of the universe, and the 
return of chaos. Yet, immense as the accumulated 
loss must be, the major part of it has been occasioned 
from an ignorance of one of the first laws of nature, 
that of specific gravity. The vessel to which we have 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



referred, was, to all appearance, in a situation of as 
extreme hazard as that of a drowning man clinging 
to a single rope-yarn; yet, in reality, she was more 
secure from descending to the abyss below than many 
gallantly careering on the waters, their occupants dis- 
missing all fear, and only calculating upon a quick 
arrival into port. 

The Circassian had sailed from New Orleans, a 
gallant and well-appointed ship, with a cargo, the 
major part of which consisted of cotton. The captain 
was, in the usual acceptation of the term, a good 
sailor; the crew were hardy and able seamen. As 
they crossed the Atlantic, they had encountered the 
gale to which we have referred, were driven down 
into the Bay of Biscay, where, as we shall hereafter 
explain, the vessel was dismasted, and sprang a leak, 
which baffled all their exertions to keep under. It 
was now five days since the frightened crew had 
quitted the vessel in two of her boats, one of which 
had swamped, and every soul that occupied it had 
perished; the fate of the other was uncertain. 

We said that the crew had deserted the vessel, but 
we did not assert that every existing being had been 
removed out of her. Had such been the case, we 
should not have taken up the reader's time in de- 
scribing inanimate matter. It is life that we pourtray, 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



and life there still was, in the shattered hull thus 
abandoned to the mockery of the ocean. In the 
caboose of the Circassian, that is, in the cooking-house, 
secured on deck, and which fortunately had been so 
well fixed as to resist the force of the breaking waves, 
remained three beings — a man, a woman, and a child. 
The two first mentioned were of that inferior race 
which have, for so long a period, been procured from 
the sultry Afric coast, to toil, but reap not for them- 
selves ; the child which lay at the breast of the female 
was of European blood, now, indeed, deadly pale, as 
it attempted in vain to draw sustenance from its ex- 
hausted nurse, down whose sable cheeks the tears 
coursed, as she occasionally pressed the infant to her 
breast, or turned it round to leeward to screen it from 
the spray, which dashed over them at each returning 
swell. Indifferent to all else, save her little charge, 
she spoke not, although she shuddered with the cold, 
as the water washed her knees each time that the 
hull was careened into the wave. Cold and terror 
had produced a change in her complexion, which now 
wore a yellow, or sort of copper hue. 

The male, who was her companion, sat opposite to 
her upon the iron range, which once had been the 
receptacle of light and heat, but was now but a weary 
seat to a drenched and worn-out wretch. He, too, 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



had not spoken for many hours; with the muscles of 
his face relaxed, his thick lips pouting far in advance 
of his collapsed cheeks, his high cheek-bones, promi- 
nent as budding horns, his eyes displaying little but 
their whites, he appeared to be an object of greater 
misery than the female, whose thoughts were directed 
to the infant, and not unto herself. Yet his feelings 
were still acute, although his faculties appeared to be 
deadened by excess of suffering. 

" Eh, me ! " cried the negro woman faintly, after a 
long silence, her head falling back with extreme ex- 
haustion. Her companion made no reply, but, roused 
at the sound of her voice, bent forward, slided open 
the door a little, and looked out to windward. The 
heavy spray dashed into his glassy eyes, and obscured 
his vision; he groaned, and fell back into his former 
position. " What you tink, Coco ? " inquired the ne- 
gress, covering up more carefully the child, as she 
bent her head down upon it. A look of despair, and 
a shudder from cold and hunger, were the only reply. 

It was then about eight o'clock in the morning, and 
the swell of the ocean was fast subsiding. At noon 
the warmth of the sun was communicated to them 
through the planks of the caboose, while its rays 
poured a small stream of vivid light through the 
chinks of the closed panels. The negro appeared 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



gradually to revive: at last he rose, and with some 
difficulty contrived again to slide open the door. The 
sea had gradually decreased its violence, and but oc- 
casionally broke over the vessel; carefully holding on 
by the door-jambs, Coco gained the outside, that he 
might survey the horizon. 

" What you see, Coco ? " said the female, observing 
from the caboose that his eyes were fixed upon a cer- 
tain quarter. 

" So help me God, me tink me see something ; 
but ab so much salt water in um eye, me no see 
clear," replied Coco, rubbing away the salt, which 
had crystallised on his face during the morning. 

"What you tink um like, Coco?" 

" Only one bit cloud," replied he, entering the 
caboose, and resuming his seat upon the grate with a 
heavy sigh. 

" Eh, me ! " cried the negress, who had uncovered 
the child to look at it, and whose powers were 
sinking fast. "Poor lilly Massa Eddard, him look 
very bad indeed — him die very soon, me fear. Look, 
Coco, no ab breath." 

The child's head fell back from the breast of its 
nurse, and life appeared to be extinct. 

" Judy, you no ab milk for piccaninny ; suppose 
um no ab milk, how can live?. Eh! stop, Judy, me 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



put lilly finger in urn mouth; suppose Massa Eddard 
no dead, him pull." 

Coco inserted his ringer into the child's mouth, 
and felt a slight drawing pressure. "Judy," cried 
Coco, " Massa Eddard no dead yet. Try now, sup- 
pose you ab lilly drop oder side." 

Poor Judy shook her head mournfully, and a tear 
rolled down her cheek; she was aware that nature 
was exhausted. " Coco," said she, wiping her cheek 
with the back of her hand, " me give me heart blood 
for Massa Eddard; but no ab milk — all gone." 

This forcible expression of love for the child, which 
was used by Judy, gave an idea to Coco. He drew 
his knife out of his pocket, and very cooly sawed 
to the bone of his fore-finger. The blood flowed and 
trickled down to the extremity, which he applied to 
the mouth of the infant. 

" See, Judy, Massa Eddard suck — him not dead," 
cried Coco, chuckling at the fortunate result of the 
experiment, and forgetting, at the moment, their almost 
hopeless situation. 

The child, revived by the strange sustenance, gra- 
dually recovered its powers, and in a few minutes it 
pulled at the finger with a certain degree of vigour. 

" Look, Judy, how Massa Eddard take it," continued 
Coco. " Pull away, Massa Eddard, pull away. Coco 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



ab ten finger, and take long while suck em all dry." 
But the child was soon satisfied, and fell asleep in 
the arms of Judy. 

"Coco, suppose you go see again," observed Judy. 
The negro again crawled out, and again he scanned 
the horizon. 

"So help me God, this time me tink, Judy — yes, 
so help me God, me see a ship !" cried Coco, joyfully. 

" Eh ! " screamed Judy, faintly, with delight ; " den 
Massa Eddard no die." 

" Yes, so help me God — he come dis way ! " and 
Coco, who appeared to have recovered a portion of 
his former strength and activity, clambered on the top 
of the caboose, where he sat cross-legged, waving his 
yellow handkerchief, with the hope of attracting the 
attention of those on board; for he knew that it was 
very possible that an object floating little more than 
level with the water's surface might escape notice. 

As it fortunately happened, the frigate, for such she 
was, continued her course precisely for the wreck, 
although it had not been perceived by the look-out 
men at the mast-heads, whose eyes had been directed 
to the line of the horizon. In less than an hour, our 
little party were threatened with a new danger, that 
of being run over by the frigate, which was now within 
a cable's length of them, driving the seas before her 



THE BAY OF BISCAY. 



in one widely extended foam, as she pursued her rapid 
and impetuous course. Coco shouted to his utmost, 
and fortunately attracted the notice of the men who 
were on the bowsprit, stowing away the foretopmast- 
staysail, which had been hoisted up to dry after the 
gale. 

" Starboard, hard ! " was roared out. 

" Starboard it is," was the reply from the quarter- 
deck, and the helm was shifted without inquiry, as it 
always is on board of a man-of-war, although, at the 
same time, it behoves people to be rather careful how 
they pass such an order, without being prepared with 
a subsequent and most satisfactory explanation. 

The topmast studding-sail napped and fluttered, the 
foresail shivered, and the jib filled as the frigate rounded 
to, narrowly missing the wreck, which was now under 
the bows, rocking so violently in the white foam of the 
agitated waters, that it was with difficulty that Coco 
could, by clinging to the stump of the mainmast, retain 
his elevated position. The frigate shortened sail, hove 
to, and lowered down a quarter-boat, and in less than 
five minutes, Coco, Judy, and the infant, were rescued 
from their awful situation. Poor Judy, who had borne 
up against all for the sake of the child, placed it in the 
arms of the officer who relieved them, and then fell 
back in a state of insensibility, in which condition she 



10 THE BAY OF BISCAY. 

was carried on board. Coco, as he took his place in 
the stern sheets of the boat, gazed wildly round him, 
and then broke out into peals of extravagant laughter, 
which continued without intermission, and were the 
only replies which he could give to the interrogatories 
of the quarter-deck, until he fell down in a swoon, and 
was intrusted to the care of the surgeon. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE BACHELOR. 

On the evening of the same day on which the child 
and the two negroes had been saved from the wreck 
by the fortunate appearance of the frigate, Mr. Wither- 
ington, of Finsbury Square, was sitting alone in his 
dining-room, wondering what could have become of 
the Circassian, and why he had not received intelli- 
gence of her arrival. Mr. Witherington, as we said 
before, was alone ; he had his port and his sherry 
before him; and although the weather was rather 
warm, there was a small fire in the grate, because, as 
Mr. Witherington asserted, it looked comfortable. Mr. 
Witherington having watched the ceiling of the room 
for some time, although there was certainly nothing 
new to be discovered, filled another glass of wine, and 
then proceeded to make himself more comfortable by 
unbuttoning three more buttons of his waistcoat, push- 
ing his wig farther off his head, and casting loose all 
the buttons at the knees of his breeches ; he completed 
his arrangements by dragging towards him two chairs 



12 THE BACHELOR. 



within his reach, putting his legs upon one while he 
rested his arm upon the other : and why was not Mr. 
Witherington to make himself comfortable ? He had good 
health, a good conscience, and eight thousand a-year. 

Satisfied with all his little arrangements, Mr. Wither- 
ington sipped his port wine, and putting down his 
glass again, fell back in his chair, placed his hands on 
his breast, interwove his fingers; and in this most 
comfortable position recommenced his speculations as 
to the non-arrival of the Circassian. 

We will leave him to his cogitations while we in- 
troduce him more particularly to our readers. 

The father of Mr. Witherington was a younger son 
of one of the oldest and proudest families in the West 
Riding of Yorkshire : he had his choice of the four 
professions allotted to younger sons whose veins are 
filled with patrician blood — the army, the navy, the 
law, and the church. The army did not suit him, he 
said, as marching and counter-marching were not com- 
fortable ; the navy did not suit him, as there was little 
comfort in gales of wind and mouldy biscuit ; the law 
did not suit him, as he was not sure that he would be 
at ease with his conscience, which would not be com- 
fortable; the church was also rejected, as it was, with 
him, connected with the idea of a small stipend, hard 
duty, a wife and eleven children, which were any thing 



THE BACHELOR. 13 



but comfortable. Much to the horror of his family he 
eschewed all the liberal professions., and embraced the 
offer of an old backslider of an uncle, who proposed 
to him a situation in his banking-house, and a part- 
nership as soon as he deserved it : the consequence 
was, that his relations bade him an indignant farewell, 
and then made no further inquiries about him : he was 
as decidedly cut as one of the female branches of the 
family would have been had she committed a faux pus. 

Nevertheless, Mr. Witherington senior stuck dili- 
gently to his business, in a few years was a partner, 
and, at the death of the old gentleman, his uncle, 
found himself in possession of a good property, and 
every year coming money at his bank. 

Mr. Witherington senior then purchased a house 
in Finsbury Square, and thought it advisable to look 
out for a wife. 

Having still much of the family pride in his com- 
position, he resolved not to muddle the blood of the 
Witheringtons by any cross from Cateaton Street or 
Mincing Lane ; and, after a proper degree of research, 
he selected the daughter of a Scotch earl, who went 
to London with a bevy of nine in a Leith smack to 
barter blood for wealth. Mr. Witherington being so 
fortunate as to be the first-comer, had the pick of the 
nine ladies by courtesy; his choice was light-haired, 



14 THE BACHELOR. 



blue- eyed, a little freckled, and very tall, by no means 
bad looking, and standing on the list in the family 
Bible No. IV. From this union Mr. Witherington had 
issue ; first, a daughter, christened Moggy, whom we 
shall sood have to introduce to our readers as a 
spinster of forty-seven ; and second, Anthony Alexander 
Witherington, Esquire, whom we just now have left 
in a very comfortable position, and in a very brown 
study. 

Mr. Witherington senior persuaded his son to enter 
the banking-house ; and, as a dutiful son, he entered 
it every day, but he did nothing more, having made 
the fortunate discovery that " his father was born before 
him ; " or, in other words, that his father had plenty of 
money, and would be necessitated to leave it behind 
him. 

As Mr. Witherington senior had always studied 
comfort, his son had early imbibed the same idea, and 
carried his feelings, in that respect, to a much greater 
excess : he divided things into comfortable and uncom- 
fortable. One fine day, Lady Mary Witherington, after 
paying all the household bills, paid the debt of Nature ; 
that is, she died: her husband paid the undertaker's 
bill, so it is to be presumed that she was buried. 

Mr. Witherington senior shortly afterwards had a 
stroke of apoplexy, which knocked him down. Death, 



THE BACHELOR. 15 



who has no feelings of honour, struck him when down. 
And Mr. Witherington, after having laid a few days in 
bed, was by a second stroke laid in the same vault as 
Lady Mary Witherington : and Mr. Witherington junior 
(our Mr. Witherington), after deducting 40,000/. for 
his sister's fortune, found himself in possession of a 
clear 8,000Z. per annum, and an excellent house in 
Finsbury Square. Mr. Witherington considered this a 
comfortable income, and he therefore retired all together 
from business. 

During the lifetime of his parents he had been 
witness to one or two matrimonial scenes, which had 
induced him to put down matrimony as one of the 
things not comfortable; therefore he remained a bachelor. 

His sister Moggy also remained unmarried; but 
whether it were from a very unprepossessing squint 
which deterred suitors, or from the same dislike to 
matrimony as her brother had imbibed, it is not in our 
power to say. Mr. Witherington was three years 
younger than his sister ; and, although he had for some 
time worn a wig, it was only because he considered it 
more comfortable. Mr. Witherington's whole character 
might be summed up in two words — eccentricity and 
benevolence : eccentric he certainly was, as most bache- 
lors usually are. Man is but a rough pebble without 
the attrition received from contact with the gentler sex : 



16 THE BACHELOR. 



it is wonderful how the ladies pumice a man down into 
a smoothness which occasions him to roll over and over 
with the rest of his species, jostling but not wounding 
his neighbours as the waves of circumstance bring him 
into collision with them. 

Mr. Witherington roused himself from his deep 
reverie, and felt for the string connected with the bell- 
pull, which it was the butler's duty invariably to attach 
to the arm of his master's chair previous to his last 
exit from the dining-room; for, as Mr. Witherington 
very truly observed, it was very uncomfortable to be 
obliged to get up and ring the bell ; indeed, more than 
once Mr. Witherington had calculated the advantages 
and disadvantages of having a daughter about eight 
years old who could ring the bell, air the newspapers 
and cut the leaves of a new novel. 

When, however, he called to mind that she could 
not always remain at that precise age, he decided that 
the balance of comfort was against it, 

Mr. Witherington having pulled the bell again, fell 
into a brown study. 

Mr. Jonathan, the butler, made his appearance ; but 
observing that his master was occupied, he immediately 
stopped at the door, erect, motionless, and with a face 
as melancholy as if he was performing mute at the porch 
of some departed peer of the realm ; for it is an under- 



THE BACHELOR. 17 



stood thing that the greater the rank of the defunct, 
the longer must be the face, and, of course, the better 
must be the pay. 

Now, as Mr. Witherington is still in profound 
thought, and Mr. Jonathan will stand as long as a 
hackney-coach horse, we will just leave them as they 
are, while we introduce the brief history of the latter 
to our readers. Jonathan Trapp had served as footboy, 
which term, we believe, is derived from those who 
are in that humble capacity receiving a quantum suff. 
of the application of the feet of those above them to 
increase the energy of their service; then as footman, 
which implies that they have been promoted to the 
more agreeable right of administering instead of re- 
ceiving the above dishonourable applications ; and lastly, 
for promotion could go no higher in the family, he 
had been raised to the dignity of butler in the service 
of Mr. Witherington senior. Jonathan then fell in 
love, for butlers are guilty of indiscretions as well as 
their masters: neither he nor his fair flame, who was 
a lady's maid in another family, notwithstanding that 
they had witnessed the consequences of this error in 
others, would take warning: they gave warning, and 
they married. 

Like most butlers and ladies' maids who pair off, 
they set up a public house ; and it is but justice to the 



18 THE BACHELOR. 



lady's maid to say, that she would have preferred an 
eating-house, but was overruled by Jonathan, who 
argued, that although people would drink when they 
were not dry, they never would eat unless they were 
hungry. 

Now, although there was truth in the observation, 
this is certain, that business did not prosper; it has 
been surmised that Jonathan's tall, lank, lean figure, 
injured his custom, as people are but too much inclined 
to judge of the goodness of the ale by the rubicund face 
and rotundity of the landlord ; and therefore inferred 
that there could be no good beer where mine host was 
the picture of famine. There certainly is much in 
appearances in this world ; and it appears, that in 
consequence of Jonathan's cadaverous appearance, he 
very soon appeared in the gazette : but what ruined 
Jonathan in one profession procured him immediate 
employment in another. An appraiser, upholsterer, and 
undertaker, who was called in to value the fixtures, 
fixed his eye upon Jonathan, and knowing the value 
of his peculiarly lugubrious appearance, and having a 
half-brother of equal height, offered him immediate 
employment as a mute. Jonathan soon forgot to mourn 
his own loss of a few hundreds in his new occupation 
of mourning the loss of thousands ; and his erect, stiff, 
statue-like carriage, and long melancholy face, as he 



THE BACHELOR. 19 



stood at the portals of those who had entered the 
portals of the next world, were but too often a sarcasm 
upon the grief of the inheritors. Even grief is worth 
nothing in this tramcing world unless it is paid for. 
Jonathan buried many, and at last buried his wife. 
So far all was well; but at last he buried his master, 
the undertaker, which was not quite so desirable. 
Although Jonathan wept not, yet did he express mute 
sorrow as he marshalled him to his long home, and 
drank to his memory in a pot of porter as he returned 
from the funeral, perched, with many others, like car- 
rion crows on the top of the hearse. 

And not Jonathan was thrown out of employment 
from a reason which most people would have thought 
the highest recommendation. Every undertaker refused 
to take him, because they could not match him. In 
this unfortunate dilemma, Jonathan thought of Mr. 
Witherington junior; he had served and he had buried 
Mr. Witherington his father, and Lady Mary his 
mother; he felt that he had strong claims for such 
variety of services, and he applied to the bachelor. 
Fortunately for Jonathan, Mr. Witherington's butler- 
incumbent was just about to commit the same folly as 
Jonathan had done before, and Jonathan was again 
installed, resolving in his own mind to lead his former 
life, and have nothing more to do with ladies' maids. 



20 THE BACHELOR. 



But from habit Jonathan still carried himself as a 
mute on all ordinary occasions — never indulging in an 
approximation to mirth, except when he perceived that 
his master was in high spirits, and then rather from a 
sense of duty than from any real hilarity of heart. 

Jonathan was no mean scholar for his station in 
life, and, during his service with the undertaker, he 
had acquired the English of all the Latin mottoes 
which are placed upon the hatchments; and these 
mottoes, when he considered them as apt, he was very 
apt to quote. We left Jonathan standing at the door ; 
he had closed it, and the handle still remained in his 
hand. " Jonathan," said Mr. Witherington, after a 
long pause — " I wish to look at the last letter from 
New York, you will find it on my dressing-table." 

Jonathan quitted the room without reply, and made 
his reappearance with the letter. 

" It is a long time that I have been expecting 
this vessel, Jonathan," observed Mr. Witherington, 
unfolding the letter. 

" Yes sir, a long while ; tarn-pus fugit? replied the 
butler in a low tone, half shutting his eyes. 

" I hope to God no accident has happened," con- 
tinued Mr. Witherington ; " my poor little cousin and 
her twins, e'en now that I speak, they may be all at 
the bottom of the sea." 



THE BACHELOR. 21 



" Yes, sir," replied the butler ; " the sea defrauds 
many an honest undertaker of his profits." 

" By the blood of the Witheringtons ! I may be left 
without an heir, and shall be obliged to marry, which 
would be very uncomfortable. 

" Very little comfort," echoed Jonathan — " my wife 
is dead. In ccelo quies" 

" Well, we must hope for the best : but this sus- 
pense is any thing but comfortable," observed Mr. 
Witherington, after looking over the contents of the 
letter for at least the twentieth time. 

" That will do, Jonathan ; I '11 ring for coffee pre- 
sently : " and Mr. Witherington was again alone and 
with his eyes fixed upon the ceiling. 

A cousin of Mr. Witherington, and a very great 
favourite (for Mr. Witherington, having a large fortune, 
and not having anything to do with business, was 
courted by his relations), had, to a certain degree, com- 
mitted herself; that is to say, that, notwithstanding 
the injunctions of her parents, she had fallen in love 
with a young lieutenant in a marching regiment, 
whose pedigree was but respectable, and whose fortune 
was anything but respectable, consisting merely of a 
subaltern's pay. Poor men, unfortunately, always make 
love better than those who are rich, because, having 
less to care about, and not being puffed up with their 



22 THE BACHELOR. 

own consequence, they are not so selfish, and think 
much more of the lady than of themselves, Young 
ladies, also, who fall in love, never consider whether 
there is sufficient to " make the pot boil " — probably 
because young ladies in love lose their appetites, and, 
not feeling inclined to eat at that time, they imagine 
that love will always supply the want of food. Now, 
we will appeal to the married ladies whether we are 
not right in asserting, that, although the collation 
spread for them and their friends on the day of the 
marriage is looked upon with almost loathing, they 
do not find their appetites return with interest soon 
afterwards. This was precisely the case with Cecilia 
Witherington, or rather Cecilia Templemore, for she 
had changed her name the day before. It was also 
the case with her husband, who always had a good 
appetite, even during his days of courtship; and the 
consequence was, that the messman's account, for they 
lived in barracks, was, in a few weeks, rather alarm- 
ing. Cecilia applied to her family, who very kindly 
sent her word that she might starve; but, the advice 
neither suiting her nor her husband, she then wrote 
to her cousin Antony, who sent her word that he should 
be most happy to receive them at his table, and that 
they should take up their abode in Finsbury Square. 
This was exactly what they wished; but still there was 



THE BACHELOR. 23 



a certain difficulty : Lieutenant Templemore's regiment 
was quartered in a town in Yorkshire, which was some 
trifling distance from Finsbury Square; and to be at 
Mr. Witherington's dinner-table at six p.m., with the 
necessity of appearing at parade every morning at nine 
a.m., was a dilemma not to be got out of. Several 
letters were interchanged upon this knotty subject ; 
and at last it was agreed that Mr. Templemore should 
sell out, and come up to Mr. Witherington with his 
pretty wife : he did so, and found that it was much 
more comfortable to turn out at nine o'clock in the 
morning to a good breakfast than to a martial parade. 
But Mr. Templemore had an honest pride and inde- 
pendence of character which would not permit him to 
eat the bread of idleness, and, after a sojourn of two 
months in most comfortable quarters, without a mess- 
man's bill, he frankly stated his feelings to Mr. 
Witherington, and requested his assistance to procure 
for himself an honourable livelihood. Mr. Withering- 
ton, who had become attached to them both, would 
have remonstrated, observing that Cecilia was his own 
cousin, and that he was a confirmed bachelor; but, in 
this instance, Mr. Templemore was firm, and Mr. 
Witherington very unwillingly consented. A mer- 
cantile house of the highest respectability required a 
partner who could superintend their consignments 



24 THE BACHELOR. 



to America. Mr. Witherington advanced the sum 
required; and, in a few weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Tem- 
plemore sailed for New York. 

Mr. Templemore was active and intelligent; their 
affairs prospered ; and, in a few years, they anticipated 
a return to their native soil with a competence. But 
the autumn of the second year after their arrival proved 
very sickly; the yellow fever raged; and, among the 
thousands who were carried off, Mr. Templemore was 
a victim, about three weeks after his wife had been 
brought to bed of twins. Mrs. Templemore rose from 
her couch a widow and the mother of two fine boys. 
The loss of Mr. Templemore was replaced by the 
establishment with which he was connected, and Mr. 
Witherington offered to his cousin that asylum which? 
in her mournful and unexpected bereavement, she so 
much required. In three months her affairs were 
arranged ; and, with her little boys hanging at the 
breasts of two negro nurses, for no others could be 
procured who would undertake the voyage, Mrs. 
Templemore, with Coco, as male servant, embarked 
on board of the good ship Circassian, A. 1., bound 
to Liverpool. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE GALE. 



Those who, standing on the pier, had witnessed the 
proud bearing of the Circassian as she gave her canvass 
to the winds, little contemplated her fate : still less 
did those on board; for confidence is the characteristic 
of seamen, and they have the happy talent of imparting 
their confidence to whomever may be in their company. 
We shall pass over the voyage, confining ourselves to 
a description of the catastrophe. 

It was during a gale from the north-west, which 
had continued for three days, and by which the 
Circassian had been driven into the Bay of Biscay, 
that, at about twelve o'clock at night, a slight lull was 
perceptible. The captain, who had remained on deck, 
sent down for the chief mate. " Oswald," said Captain 
Ingram, "the gale is breaking, and I think before 
morning we shall have had the worst of it. I shall 
lie down for an hour or two : call me if there be any 
change." 

Oswald Bareth, a tall, sinewy-built, and handsome 



26 THE GALE. 



specimen of transatlantic growth, examined the whole 
circumference of the horizon before he replied. At 
last his eyes were steadily fixed to leeward: "I've a 
notion not/ sir," said he ; "I see no signs of clearing 
off, to leeward; only a lull for relief, and a fresh hand 
at the bellows, depend upon it." 

"We have now had it three days," replied Captain 
Ingram, " and that 's the life of a summer's gale." 

"Yes," rejoined the mate; "but always provided 
that it don't blow back again. I don't like the look 
of it, sir ; and have it back we shall, as sure as there 's 
snakes in Virginny." 

"Well, so be if so be," was the safe reply of the 
captain. "You must keep a sharp look-out, Bareth, 
and don't leave the deck to call me ; send a hand 
down." 

The captain descended to his cabin. Oswald looked 
at the compass in the bittacle — spoke a few words 
to the man at the helm — gave one or two terrible 
kicks in the ribs to some of the men who were caulking 
— sounded the pump-well — put a fresh quid of tobacco 
into his cheek, and then proceeded to examine the 
heavens above. A cloud, much darker and more 
descending than the others which obscured the firma- 
ment, spread over the zenith, and based itself upon 
the horizon to leeward. Oswald's eye had been fixed 



THE GALE. 27 



upon it but a few seconds, when he beheld a small 
lambent gleam of lightning pierce through the most 
opaque part; then another, and more vivid. Of a 
sudden the wind lulled, and the Circassian righted 
from her careen. Again the wind howled — and again 
the vessel was pressed down to her bearings by its 
force : again another flash of lightning, which was 
followed by a distant peal of thunder. 

"Had the worst of it, did you say, captain? I've 
a notion that the worst is yet to come ; " muttered 
Oswald, still watching the heavens. 

"How does she carry her helm, Matthew?" inquired 
Oswald, walking aft. 

" Spoke a- weather." 

"I'll have that trysail oif of her, at any rate," 
continued the mate. " Aft, there, my lads ! and lower 
down the trysail. Keep the sheet fast till it's down, 
or the flogging will frighten the lady-passenger out 
of her wits. Well, if ever I own a craft, I'll have no 
women on board. Dollars shan't tempt me." 

The hghtning now played in rapid forks; and the 
loud thunder, which instantaneously followed each flash, 
proved its near approach. A deluge of slanting rain 
descended — the wind lulled — roared again — then lulled 
— shifted a point or two, and the drenched and heavy 
sails flapped. 



•28 THE GALE. 



" Up with the helm, Mat ! " cried Oswald, as a 
near flash of lightning for a moment blinded, and the 
accompanying peal of thunder deafened, those on deck. 
Again the wind blew strong — it ceased, and it was 
a dead calm. The sails hung down from the yards, 
and the rain descended in perpendicular torrents, 
while the ship rocked to and fro in the trough of the 
sea, and the darkness became suddenly intense. 

"Down, there, one of you! and call the captain," 
said Oswald. " By the Lord ! we shall have it. Main 
braces there, men, and square the yards. Be smart \ 
That topsail should have been in," muttered the mate; 
"but I'm not captain. Square away the yards, my 
lads ! " continued he ; " quick, quick ! — there 's no 
child's play here ! " 

Owing to the difficulty of finding and passing the 
ropes to each other, from the intensity of the darkness, 
and the deluge of rain which blinded them, the men 
were not able to execute the order of the mate so soon 
as it was necessary ; and, before they could accomplish 
their task, or Captain Ingram could gain the deck, 
the wind suddenly burst upon the devoted vessel 
from the quarter directly opposite to that from which 
the gale had blown, taking her all a-back, and 
throwing her on her beam-ends. The man at the 
helm was hurled over the wheel; while the rest, who 



TEIE GALE. 29 



were with Oswald at the main bits, with the coils of 
ropes, and every other article on deck not secured, 
were rolled into the scuppers, struggling to extricate 
themselves from the mass of confusion and the water 
in which they floundered. The sudden revulsion 
awoke all the men below, who imagined that the ship 
was foundering ; and, from the only hatchway not 
secured, they poured up in their shirts, with their 
other garments in their hands, to put them on — if fate 
permitted. 

Oswald Bareth was the first who clambered up 
from to leeward. He gained the helm, which he put 
hard up. Captain Ingram and some of the seamen 
also gained the helm. It is the rendezvous of all 
good seamen in emergencies of this description: but 
the howling of the gale — the blinding of the rain and 
salt spray — the seas checked in their running by the 
shift of wind, and breaking over the ship in vast masses 
of water — the tremendous peals of thunder — and the 
intense darkness which accompanied these horrors, 
added to the inclined position of the vessel, which 
obliged them to climb from one part of the deck to 
another, for some time checked all profitable commu- 
nication. Their only friend, in this conflict of the 
elements, was the lightning (unhappy, indeed, the 
situation in which lightning can be welcomed as a 



80 THE GALE. 



, friend); but its vivid and forked flames, darting down 
upon every quarter of the horizon, enabled them to 
perceive their situation: and, awful as it was, when 
momentarily presented to their sight, it was not so 
awful as darkness and uncertainty. To those who 
have been accustomed to the difficulties and dangers 
of a sea-faring life, there are no lines which speak 
more forcibly to the imagination, or prove the beauty 
and power of the Greek poet, than those in the noble 
prayer of Ajax : 

" Lord of earth and air, 
O king ! O father ! hear my humble prayer. 
Dispel this cloud, the light of heaven restore ; 
Give me to see — and Ajax asks no more. 
If Greece must perish — we Thy will obey : 
But let us perish in the face of day ! " 

Oswald gave the helm to two of the seamen, and 
with his knife cut adrift the axes, which were lashed 
round the mizen-mast in painted canvass covers. One 
he retained for himself, — the others he put into the 
hands of the boatswain and the second mate. To 
speak so as to be heard was almost impossible, from 
the tremendous roaring of the wind; but the lamp 
still burned in the bittacle, and, by its feeble light, 
Captain Ingram could distinguish the signs made by 



THE GALE. 31 



the mate, and could give his consent. It was necessary 
that the ship should be put before the wind, and the 
helm had no power over her. In a short time 
the lanyards of the mizen rigging were severed, and 
the mizen-mast went over the side, almost unperceived 
by the crew on the other parts of the deck, or even 
those near, had it not been from blows received by 
those who were too close to it, from the falling of the 
topsail-sheets and the rigging about the mast. 

Oswald, with his companions, regained the bittacle, 
and for some little while watched the compass. The 
ship did not pay off, and appeared to settle down more 
into the water. Again Oswald made his signs, and 
again the captain gave his assent. Forward sprang 
the undaunted mate, clinging to the bulwark and 
belay ing-pins, and followed by his hardy companions, 
until they had all three gained the main-channels. 
Here, their exposure to the force of the breaking 
waves, and the stoutness of the ropes yielding but 
slowly to the blows of the axes, which were used 
almost under water, rendered the service one of 
extreme difficulty and danger. The boatswain was 
washed over the bulwark and dashed to leeward, 
where the lee-rigging only saved him from a watery 
grave. Unsubdued, he again climbed up to wind- 
ward, rejoined and assisted his companions. The 



32 THE GALE. 



last blow was given by Oswald — the lanyards flew 
through the dead-eyes — and the tall mast disappeared 
in the foaming seas. Oswald and his companions 
hastened from their dangerous position, and rejoined 
the captain, who, with many of the crew, still remained 
near the wheel. The ship now slowly paid off and 
righted. In a few minutes she was flying before the 
gale, rolling heavily, and occasionally striking upon 
the wrecks of the masts, which she towed with her 
by the lee-rigging. 

Although the wind blew with as much violence as 
before, still it was not with the same noise, now that 
the ship was before the wind with her after-masts 
gone. The next service was to clear the ship of the 
wrecks of the masts; but, although all now assisted, 
but little could be effected until the day had dawned, 
and even then it was a service of danger, as the ship 
rolled gunwale under. Those who performed the 
duty were slung in ropes, that they might not be 
washed away ; and hardly was it completed, when 
a heavy roll, assisted by a jerking heave from a sea 
which struck her on the chess-tree, sent the foremast 
over the starboard cat-head. Thus was the Circassian 
dismasted in the gale. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE LEAK. 



The wreck of the foremast was cleared from the 
ship; the gale continued; but the sun shone brightly 
and warmly. The Circassian was again brought to 
the wind. All danger was now considered to be over, 
and the seamen joked and laughed as they were busied 
in preparing jury-masts, to enable them to reach 
their destined port. 

"I wouldn't have cared so much about this spree," 
said the boatswain, " if it warn't for the mainmast ; 
it was such a beauty. There's not another stick to 
be found equal to it in the whole length of the 
Mississippi." 

"Bah! man," replied Oswald, "there's as good fish 
in the sea as ever came out of it, and as good sticks 
growing as ever were felled; but I guess we'll pay 
pretty dear for our spars when we get to Liverpool 
— but that concerns the owners." 

The wind, which, at the time of its sudden change 
to the southward and eastward, had blown with the 



34 THE LEAK. 



force of a hurricane, now settled into a regular strong 
gale such as sailors are prepared to meet and laugh 
at. The sky was also bright and clear, and they had 
not the danger of a lee shore. It was a delightful 
change after a night of darkness, danger, and confusion ; 
and the men worked that they might get sufficient 
sail on the ship to steady her, and enable them to 
shape a course. 

"I suppose, now that we have the trysail on her 
forward, the captain will be for running for it," 
observed one who was busy turning in a dead-eye. 

"Yes," replied the boatswain; "and with this wind 
on our quarter we shan't want much sail, I Ve a notion." 

" Well, then, one advantage in losing your masts — 
you havn't much trouble about the rigging." 

"Trouble enough, though, Bill, when we get in," 
replied another, gruffly: "new lower rigging to parcel 
and sarve, and every block to turn in afresh." 

"Never mind, longer in port — I'll get spliced." 

"Why, how often do you mean to get spliced, Bill? 
you 've a wife in every State, to my sartain knowledge." 

"I arn't got one at Liverpool, Jack." 

" Well, you may take one there, Bill ; for you 've been 
sweet upon that nigger girl for these last three weeks." 

"Any port in a storm, but she won't do for harbour 
duty: but the fact is, you're all wrong there, Jack. 



THE LEAK. 35 



It's the babbies I likes — I likes to see them both 
together hanging at the nigger's breasts. I always 
thinks of two spider monkeys nursing two kittens." 

"I knows the women, but I never knows the 
children. It 's just six of one and half-a-dozen of the 
other, an't it, Bill?" 

" Yes ; like two bright bullets out of the same mould : 
I say, Bill, did any of your wives ever have twins ? " 

"No; nor I don't intend, until the owners give 
us double pay." 

"By the by," interrupted Oswald, who had been 
standing under the weather bulk-head, listening to 
the conversation, and watching the work in progress, 
"we may just as well see if she has made any water 
with all this straining and buffeting. By the Lord ! 
I never thought of that. Carpenter, lay down your 
adze and sound the well." 

The carpenter, who, notwithstanding the uneasiness 
of the dismasted vessel, was performing his important 
share of the work, immediately complied with the 
order. He drew up the rope-yarn, to which an iron 
rule had been suspended, and lowered down into the 
pump-well, and perceived that the water was dripping 
from it.. Imagining that it must have been wet from 
the quantity of water shipped over all, the carpenter 
disengaged the rope-yarn from the rule, drew another 



36 THE LEAK. 



from the junk lying on the deck, which the seamen 
were working up, and then carefully proceeded to 
plumb the well. He hauled it up, and, looking at 
it for some moments aghast, exclaimed "Seven feet 
water in the hold, by G — d!" 

If the crew of the Circassian, the whole of which 
were on deck, had been struck with an electric shock, 
the sudden change in their countenances could not 
have been greater than was produced by this appalling 
intelligence. 

Heap upon sailors every disaster, every danger 
which can be accumulated from the waves, the wind, 
the elements, or the enemy, and they will bear up 
against them with a courage amounting to heroism. 
All they demand is, that the one plank "between 
them and death" is sound, and they will trust to their 
own energies, and will be confident in their own skill: 
but spring a leak, and they are half paralysed; and 
if it gain upon them they are subdued; for when 
they find that their exertions are futile, they are 
little better than children. 

Oswald sprang to the pumps, when he heard the 
carpenter's report. "Try again, Abel — it cannot be: 
cut away that line ; hand us here a dry rope-yarn." 

Once more the well was sounded by Oswald, and 
the results were the same. "We must rig the pumps, 



THE LEAK. 37 



my lads," said the mate, endeavouring to conceal his 
own fears ; " half this water must have found its way 
in her when she was on her beam- ends." 

This idea, so judiciously thrown out, was caught at 
by the seamen, who hastened to obey the order, while 
Oswald went down to acquaint the captain, who, 
worn out with watching and fatigue, had, now that 
danger was considered to be over, thrown himself 
into his cot to obtain a few hours' repose. 

"Do you think, Bareth, that we have sprung a 
leak?" said the captain, earnestly; "she never could 
have taken in that quantity of water." 

"Never, sir," replied the mate; "but she has been 
so strained that she may have opened her top-sides. 
I trust it is no worse." 

"What is your opinion then?" 

"I am afraid that the wreck of the masts have 
injured her: you may recollect how often we struck 
against them before we could clear ourselves of them; 
once, particularly, the main-mast appeared to be right 
under her , bottom, I recollect, and she struck very 
heavy on it." 

"Well, it is God's will: let us get on deck as 
fast as we can." 

When they arrived on deck, the carpenter walked 
up to the captain, and quietly said to him, " Seven feet 



38 THE LEAK. 



three, sir." The pumps were then in full action; the 
men had divided, by the directions of the boatswain, 
and, stripped naked to the waist, relieved each other 
every two minutes. For half an hour they laboured 
incessantly. 

This was the half-hour of suspense : the great point 
to be ascertained was, whether she leaked through 
the top-sides, and had taken in the water during the 
second gale; if so, there was every hope of keeping 
it under. Captain Ingram and the mate remained 
in silence near the capstern, the former with his 
watch in his hand, during the time that the sailors 
exerted themselves to the utmost. It was ten minutes 
past seven when the half-hour had expired; the well 
was sounded, and the line carefully measured — seven feet 
six inches I So that the water had gained upon them, 
notwithstanding they had plied the pumps to the 
utmost of their strength. 

A mute look of despair was exchanged among the 
crew, but it was followed up by curses and execra- 
tions. Captain Ingram remained silent, with his lips 
compressed. 

" It 's all over with us ! " exclaimed one of the men. 

"Not yet, my lads; we have one more chance," 
said Oswald ; " I Ve a notion that the ship's sides 
have been opened by the infernal straining of last 



THE LEAK. 39 



night, and that she is now taking it in at the top-sides 
generally: if so, we have only to put her before the 
wind again, and have another good spell at the pumps. 
When '< no longer strained, as she is now with her 
broadside to the sea, she will close all up again." 

"I shouldn't wonder if Mr. Bareth is not right," 
replied the carpenter ; " however, that 's my notion too." 

" And mine," added Captain Ingram. " Come, 
my men ! never say die while there 's a shot in the 
locker. Let's try her again." And, to encourage the 
men, Captain Ingram threw off his coat and assisted 
at the first spell, while Oswald went to the helm and 
put the ship before the wind. 

As the Circassian rolled before the gale, the lazy 
manner in which she righted proved how much water 
there was in the hold. The seamen exerted themselves 
for a whole hour without intermission, and the well 
was again sounded — eight feet ! 

The men did not assert that they would pump no 
longer; but they too plainly shewed their intentions 
by each resuming in silence his shirt and jacket, which 
he had taken off at the commencement of his exertions. 

"What's to be done, Oswald?" said Captain Ingram, 
as they walked aft. "You see the men will pump no 
longer; nor, indeed, would it be of any use. We are 
doomed." 



40 THE LEAK. 



"The Circassian is, sir, I am afraid," replied the 
mate : " pumping is of no avail ; they could not keep 
her afloat till day-break. We must, therefore, trust 
to our boats, which I believe to be all sound, and 
quit her before night." 

" Crowded boats in such a sea as this ! " replied 
Captain Ingram, shaking his head mournfully — 

" Are bad enough, I grant ; but better than the sea 
itself. All we can do now is to try and keep the men 
sober, and if we can do so it will be better than to 
fatigue them uselessly; they'll want all their strength 
before they put foot again upon dry land — if ever 
they are so fortunate. Shall I speak to them?" 

"Do, Oswald," replied the captain; "for myself I 
care little, God knows ; but my wife — my children ! " 

"My lads," said Oswald, going forward to the men, 
who had waited in moody silence the result of the 
conference — " as for pumping any longer it would be 
only wearing out your strength for no good. We must 
now look to our boats ; and a good boat is better than 
a bad ship. Still, this gale and cross-running sea are 
rather too much for boats at present ; we had therefore 
better stick to the ship as long as we can. Let us set 
to with a will and get the boats ready, with provisions, 
water, and what else may be needful, and then we must 
trust to God's mercy and our own endeavours." 



THE LEAK. 41 



"No boat can stand this sea," observed one of the 
men ; " I 'm of opinion, as it 's to be a short life, it 
may as well be a merry one. What d'ye say, my 
lads?" continued he, appealing to the men. 

Several of the crew were of the same opinion : but 
Oswald, stepping forward, seized one of the axes which 
lay at the main-bitts, and going up to the seaman who 
had spoken, looked him steadfastly in the face ; — 

"Williams," said the mate, "a short life it may 
be to all of us, but not a merry one ; the meaning 
of which I understand very well. Sorry I shall be to 
have your blood, or that of others, on my hands ; but, 
as sure as there's a heaven, I'll cleave to the shoulder 
the first man who attempts to break into the spirit- 
room. You know I never joke. Shame upon you ! 
Do you call yourselves men, when, for the sake of a 
little liquor now, you would lose your only chance 
of getting drunk every day, as soon as we get on shore 
again? There's a time for all things; and I've a 
notion this is a time to be sober." 

" As most of the crew sided with Oswald, the weaker 
party were obliged to submit, and the preparations 
were commenced. The two boats on the booms were 
found to be in good condition. One party was 
employed cutting away the bulwarks, that the boats 
might be launched over the side, as there were no 



42 THE LEAK. 



means of hoisting them out. The well was again 
sounded. Nine feet water in the hold, and the ship 
evidently settling fast. Two hours had now passed, 
and the gale was not so violent; the sea, also, which, 
at the change of wind, had been cross, appeared to have 
recovered its regular run. All was ready ; the sailors, 
once at work again, had, in some measure, recovered 
their spirits, and were buoyed up with fresh hopes at 
the slight change in their favour from the decrease 
of the wind. The two boats were quite large enough 
to contain the whole of the crew and passengers ; but, 
as the sailors said among themselves (proving the 
kindness of their hearts), "What was to become of 
those two poor babbies, in an open boat for days and 
nights, perhaps?" Captain Ingram had gone down 
to Mrs. Templemore, to impart to her their melancholy 
prospects ; and the mother's heart, as well as the 
mother's voice, echoed the words of the seamen, 
"What will become of my poor babes?" 

It was not till nearly six o'clock in the evening 
that all was ready: the ship was slowly brought to 
the wind again, and the boats launched over the 
side. By this time the gale was much abated; but 
the vessel was full of water, and was expected soon 
to go down. 

There is no time in which coolness and determin- 



THE LEAK. 43 



ation are more required than in a situation like the 
one which we have attempted to describe. It is 
impossible to know the precise moment at which a 
water-logged vessel, in a heavy sea, may go down; 
and its occupants are in a state of mental fever, with 
the idea of their remaining in her so late that she 
will suddenly submerge, and leave them to struggle 
in the wave. This feeling actuated many of the crew 
of the Circassian, and they had already retreated to 
the boats. All was arranged; Oswald had charge of 
one boat, and it was agreed that the larger should 
receive Mrs. Templemore and her children, under the 
protection of Captain Ingram. The number appointed 
to Oswald's boat being completed, he shoved off, to 
make room for the other, and laid to to leeward, 
waiting to keep company. Mrs. Templemore came 
up with Captain Ingram, and was assisted by him 
into the boat. The nurse, with one child, was at last 
placed by her side ; Coco was leading Judy, the other 
nurse, with the remaining infant in her arms, and 
Captain Ingram, who had been obliged to go into the 
boat with the first child, was about to return to assist 
Judy with the other, when the ship gave a heavy 
pitch, and her forecastle was buried in the wave; 
at the same time the gunwale of the boat was stove 
by coming in contact with the side of the vessel. 



44 THE LEAK. 



" She's down, by God !" exclaimed the alarmed seamen 
in the boat ; shoving off to escape from the vortex. 

Captain Ingram, who was standing on the boat's 
thwarts to assist Judy, was thrown back into the 
bottom of the boat ; and before he could extricate 
himself, the boat was separated from the ship, and 
had drifted to leeward. 

" My child ! " screamed the mother ; " my child ! " 
" Pull to again, my lads ! " cried Captain Ingram, 
seizing the tiller. 

The men, who had been alarmed at the idea that 
the ship was going down, now that they saw that she 
was still afloat, got out the oars and attempted to 
regain her, but in vain — they could not make head 
against the sea and wind. Further and further did 
they drift to leeward, notwithstanding their exertions; 
while the frantic mother extended her arms, imploring 
and entreating. Captain Ingram, who had stimulated 
the sailors to the utmost, perceived that further attempts 
were useless. 

"My child! my child!" screamed Mrs. Temple- 
more, standing up, and holding out her arms towards 
the vessel. At a sign from the captain, the head of 
the boat was veered round. The bereaved mother 
knew that all hope was gone, and she fell down 
in a state of insensibility. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE OLD MAID. 

One morning, shortly after the disasters which 
we have described, Mr. Witherington descended to 
his breakfast-room somewhat earlier than usual, and 
found his green morocco easy-chair already tenanted 
by no less a personage than William, the footman, 
who, with his feet on the fender, was so attentively 
reading the newspaper that he did not hear his master's 
entrance. "By my ancestor, who fought on his 
stumps ! but I hope you are quite comfortable, Mr. 
William; nay, I beg I may not disturb you, sir." 

William, although as impudent as most of his 
fraternity, was a little taken aback : " I beg your 
pardon, sir, but Mr. Jonathan had not time to look 
over the paper." 

" Nor is it required that he should, that I know 
of, sir." 

" Mr. Jonathan says, sir, that it is always right to 
look over the deaths, that news of that kind may not 
shock you." 



46 THE OLD MAID. 



" Very considerate, indeed ! " 

" And there is a story there, sir, about a shipwreck." 
" A shipwreck ! where, William ? God bless me ! 
where is it ? " 

" I am afraid it is the same ship you are so anxious 

about, sir, — the ; I forget the name, sir." 

Mr. Witherington took the newspaper, and his eye 
soon caught the paragraph in which the rescue of 
the two negroes and child from the wreck of the 
Circassian was fully detailed. 

"It is, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Witherington; "my 
poor Cecilia in an open boat ! one of the boats was 
seen to go down, — perhaps she 's dead — merciful God ! 
one boy saved. Mercy on me ! where 's Jonathan ? " 

" Here, sir," replied Jonathan, very solemnly, who 
had just brought in the eggs, and now stood erect as 
a mute behind his master's chair, for it was a case of 
danger, if not of death. 

" I must go to Portsmouth immediately after break- 
fast — shan't eat though — appetite all gone." 

" People seldom do, sir, on these melancholy occa- 
sions," replied Jonathan; "will you take your own 
carriage, sir, or a mourning coach ?" 

" A mourning coach at fourteen miles an hour, 
with two pair of horses ! Jonathan, you 're crazy." 
" Will you please to have black silk hatbands 



THE OLD MAID. 47 



and gloves for the coachman and servants who attend 
you, sir?" 

" Confound your shop ! no ; this is a resurrection, 
not a death : it appears that the negro thinks only 
one of the boats went down." 

" Mors omnia vincit" quoth Jonathan, casting up 
his eyes. 

" Never you mind that ; mind your own business. 
That's the postman's knock — see if there are any letters." 

There were several; and, amongst the others, there 
was one from Captain Maxwell, of the Eurydice, 
detailing the circumstances already known, and inform- 
ing Mr. Witherington that he had despatched the two 
negroes and the child to his address by that day's coach, 
and that one of the officers, who was going to town by 
the same conveyance, would see them safe to his house. 

Captain Maxwell was an old acquaintance of Mr. 
Witherington — had dined at his house in company 
with the Templemores, and therefore had extracted 
quite enough information from the negroes to know 
where to direct them. 

" By the blood of my ancestors ! they '11 be here 
to-night," cried Mr. Witherington; "and I have saved 
my journey. What is to be done ? better tell Mary 
to get rooms ready: d'ye hear, William? beds for 
one little boy and two niggers." 



48 THE OLD MAID. 



"Yes, sir," replied William; "but where are the 
black people to be put?" 

" Put ! I do'nt care ; one may sleep with cook, 
the other with Mary." 

"Very well, sir, I'll tell them," replied William, 
hastening away, delighted at the row which he antici- 
pated in the kitchen. 

" If you please, sir," observed Jonathan, " one of 
the negroes is, I believe, a man." 

"Well, what then?" 

" Only, sir, the maids may object to sleep with 
him." 

" By all the plagues of the Witheringtons ! that is 
true ; well, you may take him, Jonathan — you like 
that colour." 

" Not in the dark, sir," replied Jonathan with a 
bow. 

" Well, then, let them sleep together : so, that 
affair is settled." 

" Are they man and wife, sir ? " said the butler. 

" The devil take them both ! how should I know ? 
let me have my breakfast, and we'll talk over the 
matter by and by." 

Mr. Witherington applied to his eggs and muffin, 
eating his breakfast as fast as he could, without know- 
ing why ; but the reason was that he was puzzled 



THE OLD MAID. 49 



and perplexed with the anticipated arrival, and longed 
to think quietly over the dilemma, for it was a dilemma 
to an old bachelor. As soon as he had swallowed his 
second cup of tea he put himself into his easy-chair, 
in an easy attitude, and was very soon soliloquising 
as follows : — 

" By the blood of the Witheringtons ! what am I, 
an old bachelor, to do with a baby, and a wet-nurse 
as black as the ace of spades, and another black fellow 
in the bargain ? Send him back again ? yes, that 's 
best: but the child — woke every morning at five 
o'clock with its squalling — obliged to kiss it three 
times a day — pleasant ! — and then that nigger of a 
nurse — thick lips — kissing child all day, and then 
holding it out to me — ignorant as a cow — if child has 
the stomach-ache she '11 cram a pepper-pod down its 
throat — West India fashion — children never without 
the stomach-ache — my poor, poor cousin ! — what has 
become of her and the other child, too ? — wish they 
may pick her up, poor dear ! and then she will come 
and take care of her own children — don't know what 
to do — great mind to send for sister Moggy — but 
she 's so fussy — wont be in a hurry. Think again." 

Here Mr. Witherington was interrupted by two 
taps at the door. 

" Come in," said he ; and the cook, with her 



50 THE OLD MAID. 



face as red as if she had been dressing a dinner 
for eighteen, made her appearance without the usual 
clean apron. 

" If you please, sir," said she, curtseying, " I will 
thank you to suit yourself with another cook." 

" Oh, very well," replied Mr. Witherington, angry 
at the interruption. 

" And, if you please, sir, I should like to go this 
very day — indeed, sir, I shall not stay." 

" Go to the devil ! if you please," replied Mr. 
Witherington, angrily ; " but first go out and shut 
the door after you." 

The cook retired, and Mr. Witherington was again 
alone. 

"Confound the old woman — what a huff she is 
in ! won't cook for black people, I suppose — yes, 
that's it." 

Here Mr. Witherington was again interrupted by 
a second double tap at the door. 

w Oh ! thought better of it, I suppose. Come in." 

It was not the cook, but Mary, the housemaid, 
that entered. 

" If you please, sir," said she, whimpering, " I 
should wish to leave my situation." 

" A conspiracy, by heavens ! Well, you may go." 

" To-night, sir, if you please," answered the woman. 



THE OLD MAID. 51 



" This moment, for all I care ! " exclaimed Mr. 
Witherington in his wrath. 

The housemaid retired ; and Mr. Witherington 
took some time to compose himself. 

" Servants all going to the devil, in this country," 
said he at last; (( proud fools — won't clean rooms 
after black people, I suppose — yes, that 's it — confound 
them all, black and white ! here 's my whole establish- 
ment upset by the arrival of a baby — well, it is very 
uncomfortable — what shall I do? — send for sister 
Moggy? — no, I'll send for Jonathan." 

Mr. Witherington rang the bell, and Jonathan 
made his appearance. 

i( What is all this, Jonathan ? " said he ; " cook 
angry — Mary crying — both going away — what's it 
all about?" 

" Why, sir, they were told by William that it was 
your positive order that the two black people were 
to sleep with them ; and I believe he told Mary 
that the man was to sleep with her." 

"Confound that fellow! he's always at mischief; 
you know, Jonathan, I never meant that." 

"I thought not sir, as it is quite contrary to 
custom," replied Jonathan. 

" Well, then, tell them so, and let 's hear no more 
about it." 



52 THE OLD MAID. 



Mr. Witherington then entered into a consultation 
with his butler, and acceded to the arrangements 
proposed by him. The parties arrived in due time, 
and were properly accommodated. Master Edward was 
not troubled with the stomach-ache, neither did he 
wake Mr. Witherington at five o'clock in the morning; 
and, after all, it was not so very uncomfortable. But, 
although things were not quite so uncomfortable as 
Mr. Witherington had anticipated, still they were not 
comfortable ; and Mr. Witherington was so annoyed 
by continual skirmishes between his servants, com- 
plaints from Judy, in bad English, of the cook, who, 
it must be owned, had taken a prejudice against 
her and Coco, occasional illness of the child, et 
cetera, that he found his house no longer quiet and 
peaceable. Three months had now nearly passed, 
and no tidings of the boats had been received ; and 
Captain Maxwell, who came up to see Mr. Wither- 
ington, gave it as his decided opinion that they must 
have foundered in the gale. As, therefore, there 
appeared to be no chance of Mrs. Templemore coming 
to take care of her child, Mr. Witherington at last 
resolved to write to Bath, where his sister resided, and 
acquaint her with the whole story, requesting her to 
come and superintend his domestic concerns. A few 
days afterwards he received the following reply : — 



THE OLD MAID. 53 



Bath, August. 

" My dear Brother Antony, 

" Your letter arrived safe to hand on Wednesday last, 
and I must say that I was not a little surprised at its contents ; 
indeed, I thought so much about it* that I revoked at Lady 
Betty Blabkin's whist -party, and lost four shillings and sixpence. 
You say that you have a child at your house belonging to your 
cousin, who married in so indecorous a manner. I hope what 
you say is true : but, at the same time, I know what bachelors 
are guilty of ; although, as Lady Betty says, it is better never 
to talk or even to hint about these improper things. I cannot 
imagine why men should consider themselves, in an unmarried 
state, as absolved from that purity which maidens are so careful 
to preserve ; and so says Lady Betty, with whom I had a little 
conversation on the subject. As, however, the thing is done, she 
agrees with me that it is better to hush it up as well as we can. 
" I presume that you do not intend to make the child yom- heir, 
which 1 should consider as highly improper ; and, indeed, Lady 
Betty tells me that the legacy- duty is ten per cent, and that it 
cannot be avoided. However, I make it a rule never to talk 
about these sort of things. As for yom- request that I will come 
up and superintend your establishment, I have advised with 
Lady Betty on the subject, and she agrees with me that, for the 
honour of the family, it is better that I shoidd come, as it will 
save appearances. You are in a peck of troubles, as most men 
are who are free-livers, and are led astray by artful and alluring 



54 THE OLD MAID. 



females. However, as Lady Betty says, ' the least said the 
soonest mended.' 

" I will, therefore, make the necessary arrangements for 
letting my house, and hope to join you in about ten days ; 
sooner I cannot, as I find that my engagements extend to that 
period. Many questions »have already been put to me on this 
unpleasant subject ; but I always give but one answer, which is, 
that bachelors will be bachelors ; and that, at all events, it is not 
so bad as if you were a married man ; for I make it a rule 
never to talk about, or even to hint about these sort of things, 
for, as Lady Betty says, ' Men will get into scrapes, and the 
sooner things are hushed up the better.' So no more at present 
from your affectionate sister, 

" Margaret Witherington." 

" P.S, — Lady Betty and I both agree that you are very right 

in hiring two black people to bring the child into your house, 

as it makes the thing look foreign to the neighbours, and we 

can keep our own secrets. 

"M.W." 

" Now, by all the sins of the Witheringtons, if this 
is not enough to drive a man out of his senses ! — 
Confound the suspicious old maid! — I'll not let her 
come into this house. Confound Lady Betty, and 
all scandal-loving old tabbies like her ! Bless me ! " 
continued Mr. Witherington, throwing the letter on 



THE OLD MAID. 55 



the table, with a deep sigh, "this is any thing but 
comfortable." 

But if Mr. Witherington found it any thing but 
comfortable at the commencement, he found it un- 
bearable in the sequel. 

His sister Moggy arrived, and installed herself in 
the house with all the pomp and protecting air of 
one who was the saviour of her brother's reputation 
and character. When the child was first brought 
down to her, instead of perceiving at once its likeness 
to Mr. Templemore, which was very strong, she 
looked at it and at her brother's face with her only 
eye, and, shaking her finger, exclaimed — 

" Oh, "^ Antony ! Antony! and did you expect to 
deceive me? — the nose — the mouth exact — Antony, 
for shame ! fie, for shame !" 

But we must hurry over the misery that Mr. 
Witherington's kindness and benevolence brought upon 
him. Not a day passed — scarcely an hour, without 
his ears being galled with his sister's insinuations. 
Judy and Coco were sent back to America; the 
servants, who had remained so long in his service, 
gave warning one by one, and, afterwards, were 
changed as often almost as there was a change in the 
moon. She ruled the house and her brother des- 
potically; and all poor Mr. Witherington's comfort 



56 THE OLD MAID. 



was gone until the time arrived when Master Edward 
was to be sent to school. Mr. Witherington then 
plucked up courage ; and, after a few stormy months, 
drove his sister back to Bath, and once more found 
himself comfortable. 

Edward came home during the holidays, and was 
a great favourite ; but the idea had become current 
that he was the son of the old gentleman, and the 
remarks made were so unpleasant and grating to him, 
that he was not sorry, much as he was attached to 
the boy, when he declared his intention to choose 
the profession of a sailor. 

Captain Maxwell introduced him into the service ; 
and afterwards, when, in consequence of ill health 
and exhaustion, he was himself obliged to leave it 
for a time, he procured for his protege other ships. 
We must, therefore, allow some years to pass away, 
during which time Edward Templemore pursues his 
career — Mr. Witherington grows older and more 
particular, and his sister Moggy amuses herself with 
Lady Betty's remarks, and her darling game of whist. 

During all this period, no tidings of the boats, or 
of Mrs. Templemore and her infant, had been heard ; 
it was, therefore, naturally conjectured that they had 
all perished, and they were remembered but as things 
that had been. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

The weather side of the quarter-deck of H. M. 
frigate Unicorn was occupied by two very great per- 
sonages : Captain Plumbton, commanding the ship ; 
who was very great in width if not in height, taking 
much more than his allowance of the deck, if it were 
not that he was the proprietor thereof, and entitled to 
the lion's share. Captain P. was not more than four 
feet ten inches in height ; but then he was equal to 
that in girt : there was quite enough of him, if he had 
only been rolled out. He walked with his coat flying 
open, his thumbs stuck into the arm-holes of his waist- 
coat, so as to throw his shoulders back and increase his 
horizontal dimensions. He also held his head well aft, 
which threw his chest and stomach well forward. He 
was the prototype of pomposity and good-nature, and 
he strutted like an actor in a procession. 

The other personage was the first-lieutenant, whom 
nature had pleased to fashion in another mould. He 
was as tall as the captain was short — as thin as his 



58 THE MIDSHIPMAN. 



superior was corpulent. His long, lanky legs were 
nearly up to the captain's shoulders ; and he bowed 
down over the head of his superior, as if he were 
the crane to hoist up, and the captain the bale 
of goods to be hoisted. He carried his hands behind 
his back, with two fingers twisted together ; and his 
chief difficulty appeared to be to reduce his own stride 
to the parrot march of the captain. His features were 
sharp and lean as was his body, and wore every 
appearance of a cross-grained temper. 

He had been making divers complaints of divers 
persons, and the captain had hitherto appeared im- 
perturbable. Captain Plumbton was an even-tempered 
man, who was satisfied with a good dinner. Lieutenant 
Markitall was an odd-tempered man, who would quarrel 
with his bread and butter. 

" Quite impossible, sir," continued the first-lieu- 
tenant, " to carry on the duty without support." 

This oracular observation, which, from the relative 
forms of the two parties, descended as it were from 
above, was replied to by the captain with a "Very 
true." 

" Then, sir, I presume you will not object to my 
putting that man in the report for punishment." 

"I'll think about it, Mr. Markitall." This, with 
Captain Plumbton, was as much as to say, no. 



THE MIDSHIPMAN. 59 

" The young gentlemen, sir, I am sorry to say, 
are very troublesome." 

"Boys always are," replied the captain. 

" Yes, sir ; but the duty must be carried on, and 
I cannot do without them." 

" Very true — midshipmen are very useful." 

" But I 'm sorry to say, sir, that they are not. Now, 
sir, there 's Mr. Templemore ; I can do nothing with 
him — he does nothing but laugh." 

" Laugh ! — Mr. Markitall, does he laugh at you?" 

" Not exactly, sir ; but he laughs at every thing. 
If I send him to the mast-head, he goes up laughing; 
if I call him down, he comes down laughing ; if I find 
fault with him, he laughs the next minute: in fact, 
sir, he does nothing but laugh. I should particularly 
wish, sir, that you would speak to him, and see if any 
interference on your part " 

"Would make him cry — eh? better to laugh 
than cry in this world. Does he never cry, Mr. 
Markitall?" 

"Yes, sir, and very unseasonably. The other day, 
you may recollect, when you punished Wilson the 
marine, whom I appointed to take care of his chest 
and hammock, he was crying the whole time ; almost 
tantamount — at least an indirect species of mutiny on 
his part, as it implied " 



60 THE MIDSHIPMAN. 



" That the boy was sorry that his servant was 
punished ; I never flog a man but I 'm sorry myself, 
Mr. Markitall." 

" Well, I do not press the question of his crying — 
that I might look over; but his laughing, sir, I must 
beg that you will take notice of that. Here he is, 
sir, coming up the hatchway. Mr. Templemore, the 
captain wishes to speak to you." 

Now, the captain did not wish to speak to him, 
but, forced upon him as it was by the first-lieutenant, 
he could do no less. So Mr. Templemore touched 
his hat, and stood before the captain, we regret 
to say, with such a good-humoured, sly, confiding 
smirk on his countenance, as at once established 
the proof of the accusation, and the enormity of the 
offence. 

" So, sir," said Captain Plumbton, stopping in his 
perambulation, and squaring his shoulders still more, 
" I find that you laugh at the first-lieutenant." 

"I, sir?" replied the boy, the smirk expanding 
into a broad grin. 

" Yes ; you, sir," said the first-lieutenant, now 
drawing up to his full height ; " why, you 're laughing 
now, sir." 

" I can't help it, sir — it 's not my fault ; and I 'm 
sure it 's not yours, sir," added the boy, demurely. 



THE MIDSHIPMAN. 61 

" Are you aware, Edward — Mr. Templemore, I 
mean — of the impropriety of disrespect to your superior 
officer?" 

"I never laughed at Mr. Markitall but once, sir, 
that I can recollect, and that was when he tumbled 
over the messenger." 

"And why did you laugh at him then, sir?" 

" I always do laugh when any one tumbles down," 
replied the lad; "I can't help it, sir." 

" Then, sir, I suppose you would laugh if you saw 
me rolling in the lee scuppers ? " said the captain. 

" Oh ! " replied the boy, no longer able to contain 
himself, " I 'm sure I should burst myself with laughing 
— I think I see you now, sir." 

" Do you, indeed ! I 'm very glad that you do not ; 
though I 'm afraid, young gentleman, you stand con- 
victed by your own confession." 

"Yes, sir, for laughing, if that is any crime; but 
it 's not in the articles of war." 

" No, sir ; but disrespect is. You laugh when you 
go to the mast-head." 

"But I obey the order, sir, immediately — do I 
not, Mr. Markitall?" 

" Yes, sir, you obey the order ; but, at the same 
time, your laughing proves that you do not mind 
the punishment." 



62 THE MIDSHIPMAN. 



" No more I do, sir. I spend half my life at the 
mast-head, and I'm used to it now." 

" But, Mr. Templemore, ought you not to feel 
the disgrace of the punishment," inquired the captain, 
severely. 

" Yes sir, if I felt that I deserved it I should. I 
should not laugh, sir, if you sent me to the mast-head," 
replied the boy, assuming a serious countenance. 

"You see, Mr. Markitall, that he can be grave," 
observed the captain. 

" I 've tried all I can to make him so, sir," replied 
the first-lieutenant; "but I wish to ask Mr. Temple- 
more what he means to imply by saying, ' when he 
deserves it.' Does he mean to say that I have ever 
punished him unjustly?" 

" Yes, sir," replied the boy, boldly ; " five times 
out of six, I am mast-headed for nothing — and that's 
the reason why I do not mind it." 

" For nothing, sir ! Do you call laughing nothing ? " 

" I pay every attention that I can to my duty, sir ; I 
always obey your orders ; I try all I can to make you 
pleased with me — but you are always punishing me." 

" Yes, sir, for laughing, and, what is worse, making 
the ship's company laugh. 

" They 6 haul and hold ' just the same, sir — I think 
they work all the better for being merry." 



THE MIDSHIPMAN. 63 

" And pray, sir, what business have you to think," 
replied the first-lieutenant, now very angry. " Captain 
Plumbton, as this young gentleman thinks proper to 
interfere with me and the discipline of the ship, I beg 
you will see what effect your punishing may have upon 
him," 

" Mr. Templemore," said the captain, " you are, in 
the first place, too free in your speech, and, in the next 
place, too fond of laughing. There is, Mr. Templemore, 
a time for all things — a time to be merry, and a time to 
be serious. The quarter-deck is not the fit place for 
mirth." 

" I 'm sure the gangway is not," shrewdly interrupted 
the boy. 

" No — you are right, nor the gangway ; but you 
may laugh on the forecastle, and when below with 
your messmates." 

" No, sir, we may not ; Mr. Markitall always sends 
out if he hears us laughing." 

" Because, Mr. Templemore, you're always laughing." 

" I believe I am, sir ; and if it 's wrong I 'm sorry to 
displease you, but I mean no disrespect. I laugh in 
my sleep — I laugh when I awake — I laugh when the 
sun shines — I always feel so happy ; but although you 
do mast-head me, Mr. Markitall, I should not laugh, 
but be very sorry, if any misfortune happened to you." 



64 THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

"I believe you would, boy — I do, indeed, Mr. 
Markitall," said the captain. 

" Well, sir," replied the first-lieutenant, " as Mr. 
Templemore appears to be aware of his error, I do not 
wish to press my complaint — I have only to request 
that he will never laugh again." 

" You hear, boy, what the first-lieutenant says ; 
it's very reasonable, and I beg I may hear no more 
complaints. Mr. Markitall, let me know when the 
foot of that foretopsail will be repaired — I should like 
to shift it to-night." 

Mr. Markitall went down under the half-deck to 
make the inquiry. 

" And, Edward, said Captain Plumb ton, as soon 
as the lieutenant was out of ear-shot, " I have a good 
deal more to say to you upon this subject, but I have 
no time now. So come and dine with me — at my 
table, you know, I allow laughing in moderation." 

The boy touched his hat, and with a grateful, 
happy countenance, walked away. 

"We have introduced this little scene, that the 
reader may form some idea of the character of Edward 
Templemore. He was indeed the soul of mirth, good- 
humour, and kindly feelings towards others; he even 
felt kindly towards the first-lieutenant, who persecuted 
him for his risible propensities. We do not say that 



THE MIDSHIPMAN. 65 



the boy was right in laughing at all times, or that the 
first-lieutenant was wrong in attempting to check it. 
As the captain said, there is a time for all things, and 
Edward's laugh was not always seasonable ; but it 
was his nature, and he could not help it. He was 
joyous as the May morning; and thus he continued 
for years, laughing at every thing — pleased with 
every body — almost universally liked — and his bold, 
free, and happy spirit, unchecked by vicissitude or 
hardship. 

He served his time — was nearly turned back, when 
he was passing his examination, for laughing, and 
then went laughing to sea again — was in command 
of a boat at the cutting-out of a French corvette, and, 
when on board, was so much amused by the little 
French captain skipping about with his rapier, which 
proved fatal to many, that, at last, he received a pink 
from the little gentleman himself, which laid him on 
the deck. For this affair, and in consideration of his 
wound, he obtained his promotion to the rank of 
lieutenant — was appointed to a line-of-battle ship in 
the West Indies — laughed at the yellow-fever — was 
appointed to the tender of that ship, a fine schooner, 
and was sent to cruise for prize-money for the admiral, 
and promotion for himself, if he could, by any fortunate 
encounter, be so luckv as to obtain it. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SLE EPE R'S BAY. 

On the western coast of Africa there is a small bay 
which has received more than one name from its 
occasional visitors. That by which it was designated 
by the adventurous Portuguese, who first dared to 
cleave the waves of the southern Atlantic, has been 
forgotten with their lost maratime pre-eminence ; the 
name allotted to it by the woolly-headed natives of 
the coast has never, perhaps, been ascertained : it is, 
however, marked down in some of the old English 
charts as Sleeper's Bay. 

The main-land which, by its curvature, has formed 
this little dent on a coast possessing, and certainly at 
present requiring, few harbours, displays, perhaps, the 
least inviting of all prospects ; offering to the view 
nothing but a shelving beach of dazzling white sand, 
backed with a few small hummocks beat up by the 
occasional fury of the Atlantic gales — arid, bare, and 
without the slightest appearance of vegetable life. 
The inland prospect is shrouded over by a dense 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 67 



mirage, through which here and there are to be dis- 
covered the stems of a few distant palm-trees, so broken 
and disjoined by refraction that they present to the 
imagination anything but the idea of foliage or shade. 
The water in the bay is calm and smooth as the 
polished mirror ; not the smallest ripple is to be heard 
on the beach, to break through the silence of nature; 
not a breath of air sweeps over its glassy surface, 
which is heated with the intense rays of a vertical 
noon-day sun, pouring down a withering flood of light 
and heat; not a sea-bird is to be discovered wheeling 
on its flight, or balancing on its wing as it pierces the 
deep with its searching eye, ready to dart upon its 
prey. All is silence, solitude, and desolation, save 
that occasionally may be seen the fin of some huge 
shark, either sluggishly moving through the heated 
element, or stationary in the torpor of the mid-day 
heat. A site so sterile, so stagnant, so little adapted 
to human life, cannot well be conceived, unless, by 
flying to extremes, we were to portray the chilling 
blast, the transfixing cold, and "close-ribbed ice," 
at the frozen poles. 

At the entrance of this bay, in about three fathoms 
water, heedless of the spring cable, which hung down 
as a rope which had fallen overboard, there floated, 
motionless as death, a vessel whose proportions would 



68 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



have challenged the unanimous admiration of those 
who could appreciate the merits of her build, had 
she been anchored in the most frequented and busy 
harbour of the universe. So beautiful were her lines, 
that you might almost have imagined her a created 
being that the ocean had been ordered to receive, 
as if fashioned by the Divine Architect, to add to 
the beauty and variety of his works; for, from the 
huge leviathan to the smallest of the finny tribe — 
from the towering albatross to the boding peteral of 
the storm — where could be found, among the winged 
or finned frequenters of the ocean, a form more appro- 
priate, more fitting, than this specimen of human 
skill, whose beautiful model and elegant tapering 
spars were now all that could be discovered to break 
the meeting lines of the firmament and horizon of 
the offing. 

Alas ! she was fashioned, at the will of avarice, 
for the aid of cruelty and injustice; and now was 
even more nefariously employed. She had been a 
slaver — she was now the far-famed, still more dreaded, 
pirate-schooner, the " Avenger." 

Not a man-of-war which scoured the deep but had 
her instructions relative to this vessel, which had been 
so successful in her career of crime — not a trader in 
any portion of the navigable globe but whose crew 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 69 



shuddered at the mention of her name, and the remem- 
brance of the atrocities which had been practised by 
her reckless crew. She had been every where — in 
the east, the west, the north, and the south, leaving 
a track behind her of rapine and of murder. There 
she lay, in motionless beauty; her low sides were 
painted black, with one small, narrow riband of red — 
her raking masts were clean scraped — her topmasts, 
her cross-trees, caps, and even running-blocks, were 
painted in pure white. Awnings were spread fore 
and aft to protect the crew from the powerful rays of 
the sun ; her ropes were hauled taut ; and in every 
point she wore the appearance of being under the 
control of seamanship and strict discipline. Through 
the clear smooth water her copper shone brightly; 
and, as you looked over her tanrail down into the 
calm blue sea, you could plainly discover the sandy 
bottom beneath her, and the anchor which then lay 
under her counter. A small boat floated astern, the 
weight of the rope which attached her appearing, in 
the perfect calm, to draw her towards the schooner. 

We must now go on board, and our first cause of 
surprise will be the deception relative to the tonnage 
of the schooner, when viewed from a distance. Instead 
of a small vessel of about ninety tons, we discover 
that she is upwards of two hundred ; that her breadth 



70 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



of beam is enormous ; and that those spars which 
appeared so light and elegant, are of unexpected 
dimensions. Her decks are of narrow fir planks, 
without the least spring or rise; her ropes are of 
Manilla hemp, neatly secured to copper belaying- 
pins, and coiled down on the deck, whose whiteness 
is well contrasted with the bright green paint of her 
bulwarks; her capstern and binnacles are cased in 
fluted mahogany, and ornamented with brass ; metal 
stanchions protect the skylights, and the bright muskets 
are arranged in front of the mainmast, while the board- 
ing-spikes are lashed round the mainboon. 

In the centre of the vessel, between the fore and 
mainmasts, there is a long brass 52-pounder, fixed 
upon a carriage, revolving in a circle, and so arranged 
that in bad weather it can be lowered down and housed ; 
while on each side of her decks are mounted eight 
brass guns, of smaller calibre and of exquisite work- 
manship. Her build proves the skill of the architect ; 
her fitting-out, a judgment in which naught has been 
sacrificed to, although every thing has been directed 
by, taste; and her neatness and arrangement, that, 
in the person of her commander, to the strictest disci- 
pline there is united the practical knowledge of a 
thorough seaman. How, indeed, otherwise could she 
have so long continued her lawless yet successful 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 71 



career? How could it have been possible to unite 
a crew of miscreants, who feared nor God nor man, 
most of whom had perpetrated foul murders, or had 
been guilty of even blacker iniquities ? It was because 
he who commanded the vessel was so superior as to 
find in her no rivalry. Superior in talent, in know- 
ledge of his profession, in courage, and, moreover, in 
physical strength — which in him was almost Herculean. 
Unfortunately, he was also superior to all in villany, 
in cruelty, and contempt of all injunctions, moral and 
Divine. 

What had been the early life of this person was 
but imperfectly known. It was undoubted that he 
had received an excellent education, and it was said 
that he was of an ancient border family, on the banks 
of the Tweed : by what chances he had become a 
pirate — by what errors he had fallen from his station 
in society, until he became an outcast, had never been 
revealed; it was only known that he had been some 
years employed in the slave-trade, previous to his 
seizing this vessel and commencing his reckless career. 
The name by which he was known to the crew of the 
pirate-vessel was " Cain," and well had he chosen this 
appellation ; for, had not his hand for more than three 
years been against every man's, and every man's 
hand against his? In person, he was about six feet 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 



high, with a breadth of shoulders and of chest denoting 
the utmost of physical force which, perhaps, has ever 
been allotted to man. His features would have been 
handsome, had they not been scarred with wounds; 
and, strange to say, his eye was mild, and of a soft blue. 
His mouth was well formed, and his teeth of a pearly 
white : the hair of his head was crisped and wavy, and 
his beard, which he wore, as did every person com- 
posing the crew of the pirate, covered the lower part 
of his face, in strong, waving, and continued curls. 
The proportions of his body were perfect ; but, from 
their vastness, they became almost terrific. His cos- 
tume was elegant, and well adapted to his form : linen 
trousers, and untanned yellow leather boots, such as 
are made at the Western Isles; a broad-striped cotton 
shirt ; a red Cashmere shawl round his waist as a 
sash ; a vest embroidered in gold tissue, with a jacket 
of dark velvet, and pendant gold buttons, hanging 
over his left shoulder, after the fashion of the Mediter- 
ranean seamen ; a round Turkish skull-cap, handsomely 
embroidered ; a pair of pistols, and a long knife in his 
sash, completed his attire. 

The crew consisted in all of 165 men, of almost 
every nation; but it was to be remarked, that all 
those in authority were either Englishmen or from the 
northern countries : the others were chiefly Spaniards 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 73 

and Maltese. Still there were Portuguese, Brazilians, 
negroes, and others, who made up the complement, 
which, at the time we now speak, was increased by 
twenty-five additional hands. These were Kroumen, 
a race of blacks well known at present, who inhabit 
the coast near Cape Palmas, and are often employed 
by our men-of-war stationed on the coast, to relieve 
the English seamen from duties which would be too 
severe to those who were not inured to the climate. 
They are powerful, athletic men, good sailors, of a 
happy, merry disposition, and, unlike other Africans, 
will work hard. Fond of the English, they generally 
speak the language sufficiently to be understood, and 
are very glad to receive a baptism when they come 
on board. The name first given them they usually 
adhere to as long as they live ; and you will now on 
the coast meet with a Blucher, a Wellington, a Nelson, 
&c, who will wring swabs, or do any other of the 
meanest description of work, without feeling that it 
is discreditable to sponsorials so grand. 

It is not to be supposed that these men had volun- 
tarily come on board of the pirate; they had been 
employed in some British vessels, trading on the coast, 
and had been taken out of them when the vessels 
were burnt, and the Europeans of the crews murdered. 
They had received a promise of reward, if they did 



74 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



their duty; but, not expecting it, they waited for the 
earliest opportunity to make their escape. 

The captain of the schooner is abaft, with his glass 
in his hand, occasionally sweeping the offing in ex- 
pectation of a vessel heaving in sight; the officers 
and crew are lying down, or lounging listlessly about 
the decks, panting with the extreme heat, and impa- 
tiently waiting for the sea-breeze to fan their parched 
foreheads. With their rough beards and exposed chests, 
and their weather-beaten, fierce countenances, they 
form a group which is terrible even in repose. 

We must now descend into the cabin of the 
schooner. The fittings-up of this apartment are 
simple : on each side is a standing bed-place ; against 
the after bulk-head is a large buffet, originally intended 
for glass and china, but now loaded with silver and 
gold vessels of every size and description, collected 
by the pirate from the different ships which he had 
plundered ; the lamps are also of silver, and evidently 
had been intended to ornament the shrine of some 
Catholic saint. 

In this cabin there are two individuals to whom we 
shall now direct the reader's attention. The one is 
a pleasant-countenanced, good-humoured Krouman, 
who had been christened " Pompey the Great ; " most 
probably on account of his large proportions. He 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 75 



wears a pair of duck trousers ; the rest of his body is 
naked, and presents a sleek, glossy skin, covering 
muscles which an anatomist or a sculptor would have 
viewed with admiration. The other is a youth of 
eighteen, or thereabouts, with an intelligent, handsome 
countenance, evidently of European blood. There 
is, however, an habitually mournful cast upon his 
features: he is dressed much in the same way as 
we have described the captain, but the costume hangs 
more gracefully upon his slender, yet well-formed 
limbs. He is seated on a sofa, fixed in the fore 
part of the cabin, with a book in his hand, which 
occasionally he refers to, and then lifts his eyes from, 
to watch the motions of the Krouman, who is busy 
in the office of steward, arranging and cleaning the 
costly articles in the buffet. 

" Massa Francisco, dis really fine ting ; " said 
Pompey, holding up a splendidly embossed tankard, 
which he had been rubbing. 

" Yes," replied Francisco, gravely ; " it is, indeed, 
Pompey.'' 

"How Captain Cain came by dis?" 

Francisco shook his head ; and Pompey put his 
finger up to his mouth, his eyes, full of meaning, 
fixed upon Francisco. 

At this moment the personage referred to was heard 



76 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



descending the companion-ladder. Pompey recom- 
menced rubbing the silver, and Francisco dropped 
his eyes upon the book. 

What was the tie which appeared to bind the 
captain to this lad was not known ; but, as the latter 
had always accompanied, and lived altogether with 
him, it was generally supposed that he was the captain's 
son; and he was as often designated by the crew as 
young Cain, as he was by his Christian name of 
Francisco. Still it was observed, that latterly they 
had frequently been heard in altercation, and that the 
captain was very suspicious of Francisco's movements. 

"I beg I may not interrupt your conversation," 
said Cain, on entering the cabin ; " the information 
you may obtain from a Krouman must be very im- 
portant." 

Francisco made no reply, but appeared to be reading 
his book. Cain's eyes passed from one to the other, 
as if to read their thoughts. 

" Pray what were you saying, Mr. Pompey ? " 

" Me say, Massa captain ? me only tell young 
massa dis very fine ting; ask where you get him — 
Massa Francisco no tell." 

" And what might it be to you, you black scoun- 
drel?" cried the captain, seizing the goblet, and 
striking the man with it a blow on the head which 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 77 



flattened the vessel, and at the same time felled the 
Krouman, powerful as he was, to the deck. The 
blood streamed, as the man slowly rose, stupified and 
trembling from the violent concussion. Without saying 
a word, he staggered out of the cabin, and Cain threw 
himself on one of the lockers in front of the standing 
bed-place, saying, with a bitter smile, " So much for 
your intimates, Francisco ! " 

" Rather, so much for your cruelty and injustice 
towards an unoffending man," replied Francisco, laying 
his book on the table. " His question was an innocent 
one — for he knew not the particulars connected with 
the obtaining of that flagon." 

" And you, I presume, do not forget them ? Well, 
be it so, young man ; but I warn you again — as I have 
warned you often — nothing but the remembrance of 
your mother has prevented me, long before this, from 
throwing your body to the sharks." 

"What influence my mother's memory may have 
over you I know not ; I only regret that, in any way, 
she had the misfortune to be connected with you." 

" She had the influence," replied Cain, " which 
a woman must have over a man when they have for 
years swung in the same cot ; but that is wearing off 
fast. I tell you so candidly: I will not allow even 
her memory to check me, if I find you continue your 



78 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



late course. You have shewn disaffection before the 
crew — you have disputed my orders — and I have 
every reason to believe that you are now plotting 
against me." 

" Can I do otherwise than shew my abhorrence," 
replied Francisco, " when I witness such acts of horror, 
of cruelty — cold-blooded cruelty, as lately have been 
perpetrated? Why did you bring me here? and why 
do you now detain me? All I ask is, that you will 
allow me to leave the vessel. You are not my father ; 
you have told me so." 

"No, I am not your father; but — you are your 
mother's son." 

" That gives you no right to have power over 
me, even if you had been married to my mother; 
which " 

" I was not." 

" I thank God ; for marriage with you would have 
been even greater disgrace." 

"What!" cried Cain, starting up, seizing the young 
man by the neck, and lifting him off his seat as if he 
had been a puppet; "but no — I cannot forget your 
mother." Cain released Francisco, and resumed his 
seat on the locker. 

" As you please," said Francisco, as soon as he 
had recovered himself; " it matters little whether I 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 79 



am brained by your own hand, or launched overboard 
as a meal for the sharks ; it will be but one more 
murder." 

" Mad fool ! why do you tempt me thus ? " replied 
Cain, again starting up and hastily quitting the cabin. 

The altercation which we have just described was 
not unheard on deck, as the doors of the cabin were 
open, and the sky-light removed to admit the air. 
The face of Cain was flushed as he ascended the 
ladder. He perceived his chief mate standing by the 
hatchway, and many of the men, who had been slum- 
bering abaft, with their heads raised on their elbows, 
as if they had been listening to the conversation 
below. 

" It will never do, sir," said Hawkhurst, the mate, 
shaking his head. 

" No," replied the Captain ; " not if he were my 
own son. But what is to be done ? — he knows no 
fear." 

Hawkhurst pointed to the entering-port. 

" When I ask your advice, you may give it," said 
the captain, turning gloomily away. 

In the mean time Francisco paced the cabin in deep 
thought. Young as he was, he was indifferent to 
death; for he had no tie to render life precious. He 
remembered his mother, but not her demise ; that had 



80 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



been concealed from him. At the age of seven he 
had sailed with Cain in a slaver, and had ever since 
continued with him. Until lately, he had been led 
to suppose that the captain was his father. During 
the years that he had been in the slave-trade, Cain 
had devoted much time to his education : it so 
happened that the only book which could be found 
on board of the vessel, when Cain first commenced 
teaching, was a Bible belonging to Francisco's mother. 
Out of this book he learned to read ; and, as his 
education advanced, other books were procured. It 
may appear strange that the very traffic in which his 
reputed father was engaged did not corrupt the boy's 
mind; but, accustomed to it from his infancy, he 
had considered these negroes as another species, — an 
idea fully warranted by the cruelty of the Europeans 
towards them. 

There are some dispositions so naturally kind and 
ingenuous that even example and evil contact cannot 
debase them : such was the disposition of Francisco. 
As he gained in years and knowledge, he thought 
more and more for himself, and had already become 
disgusted with the cruelties practised upon the unfor- 
tunate negroes, when the slave-vessel was seized upon 
by Cain and converted into a pirate. At first, the 
enormities committed had not been so great; vessels 



SLEEPER'S BAY. 81 



had been seized and plundered, but life had been 
spared. In the course of crime, however, the descent 
is rapid: and as, from information given by those 
who had been released, the schooner was more than 
once in danger of being captured, latterly no lives 
had been spared : and but too often the murders had 
been attended with deeds even more atrocious. 

Francisco had witnessed scenes of horror until his 
young blood curdled: he had expostulated to save, 
but in vain. Disgusted with the captain and the 
crew, and their deeds of cruelty, he had latterly ex- 
pressed his opinions fearlessly, and defied the captain ; 
for, in the heat of an altercation, Cain had acknow- 
ledged that Francisco was not his son. 

Had any of the crew or officers expressed but a 
tithe of what had fallen from the bold lips of Francisco, 
they would have long before paid the forfeit of their 
temerity; but there was a feeling towards Francisco 
which could not be stifled in the breast of Cain — it 
was the feeling of association and habit. The boy 
had been his companion for years ; and, from assue- 
tude, had become, as it were, a part of himself. There 
is a principle in our natures which, even when that 
nature is most debased, will never leave us — that of 
requiring something to love — something to protect and 
watch over : it is shewn towards a dog, or any other 



82 SLEEPER'S BAY. 



animal, if it cannot be lavished upon one of our own 
species. Such was the feeling which so forcibly held 
Cain towards Francisco ; such was the feeling which 
had hitherto saved his life. 

After having paced up and down for some time, 
the youth took his seat on the locker which the 
captain had quitted : his eye soon caught the head 
of Pompey, who looked into the cabin and beckoned 
with his finger. 

Francisco rose, and, taking up a flagon from the 
buffet which contained some spirits, walked to the door, 
and, without saying a word, handed it to the Krouman. 

" Massa Francisco," whispered Pompey, " Pompey 
say — all Krouman say— suppose they run away, you 
go too. Pompey say — all Krouman say— suppose 
they try kill you ! Nebber kill you while one Krou- 
man alive." 

The negro then gently pushed Francisco back with 
his hand, as if not wishing to hear his answer, and 
hastened forward on the berth deck. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE ATTACK. 

In the mean time the sea-breeze had risen in the 
offing, and was sweeping along the surface to where 
the schooner was at anchor. The captain ordered a 
man to the cross-trees, directing him to keep a good 
look-out, while he walked the deck in company with 
his first mate. 

" She may not have sailed until a day or two later," 
said the captain, continuing the conversation ; " I 
have made allowance for that, and depend upon it, 
as she makes the eastern passage we must soon fall 
in with her; if she does not heave in sight this 
evening by daylight, I shall stretch out in the offing: 
I know the Portuguese well. The sea-breeze has 
caught our craft; let them run up the inner jib, and 
see that she does not foul her anchor." 

It was now late in the. afternoon, and dinner had 
been sent into the cabin; the captain descended and 
took his seat at the table with Francisco, who ate in 
silence. Once or twice the captain, whose wrath had 



84 THE ATTACK. 



subsided, and whose kindly feelings towards Francisco, 
checked for a time, had returned with greater force, 
tried, but in vain, to rally him into conversation, 
when "sail ho!" was shouted from the mast-head. 

" There she is, by G — d ! " cried the captain, jump- 
ing from, and then, as if checking himself, immediately 
resuming his seat. 

Francisco put his hand to his forehead, covering 
his eyes as his elbow leant upon the table. 

(f A large ship, sir ; we can see down to the second 
reef of her topsails," said Hawkhurst, looking down 
the sky-light. 

The captain hastily swallowed some wine from a 
flagon, cast a look of scorn and anger upon Francisco, 
and rushed on deck. 

" Be smart, lads ! " cried the captain, after a few 
seconds' survey of the vessel through his glass ; " that 's 
her : furl the awnings, and run the anchor up to the 
bows : there 's more silver in that vessel, my lads, 
than your chests will hold ; and the good saints of 
the churches at Goa will have to wait a little longer 
for their gold candlesticks." 

The crew were immediately on the alert ; the 
awnings were furled, and all the men, stretching aft 
the spring cable, walked the anchor up to the bows. 
In two minutes more the Avenger was standing out 



THE ATTACK. 85 



on the starboard tack, shaping her course so as to cut 
off the ill-fated vessel. The breeze freshened, and 
the schooner darted through the smooth water with 
the impetuosity of a dolphin after its prey. In an hour 
the hull of the ship was plainly to be distinguished; 
but the sun was near to the horizon, and before they 
could ascertain what her force might be, daylight had 
disappeared. Whether the schooner had been per- 
ceived or not it was impossible to say; at all events, 
the course of the ship had not been altered, and if she 
had seen the schooner, she evidently treated her with 
contempt. On board the Avenger they were not idle ; 
the long gun in the centre had been cleared from the 
incumbrances which surrounded it, the other guns had 
been cast loose, shot handed up, and every thing pre- 
pared for action, with all the energy and discipline of 
a man-of-war. The chase had not been lost sight of, 
and the eyes of the pirate-captain were fixed upon her 
through a night-glass. In about an hour more the 
schooner was within a mile of the ship, and now 
altered her course so as to range up within a cable's 
length of her to leeward. Cain stood upon the gun- 
wale and hailed. The answer was in Portuguese. 

" Heave to, or I '11 sink you ! " replied he in the 
same language. 

A general discharge from a broadside of carronades, 



86 THE ATTACK. 



and a heavy volley of muskets from the Portuguese, 
was the decided answer ; the broadside, too much 
elevated to hit the low hull of the schooner, was still 
not without eftect — the fore top-mast fell, the jaws of 
the main-gaff were severed, and a large proportion of 
the standing, as well as the running-rigging, came 
rattling down on her decks. The volley of musketry 
was more fatal : thirteen of the pirates were wounded, 
some of them severely. 

" Well done ! John Portuguese," cried Hawkhurst ; 
"by the holy poker! I never gave you credit for so 
much pluck." 

" Which they shall dearly pay for," was the cool 
reply of Cain, as he still remained in his exposed 
situation. 

" Blood for blood ! if I drink it," observed the second 
mate, as he looked at the crimson rivulet trickling 
down the fingers of his left hand from a wound in his 
arm — "just tie my handkerchief round this, Bill. 

In the interim, Cain had desired his crew to elevate 
their guns, and the broadside was returned. 

" That will do, my lads : starboard ; ease off the 
boom-sheet; let her go right round, Hawkhurst, — 
we cannot afford to lose our men." 

The schooner wore round, and ran astern of her 
opponent. 



THE ATTACK; 87 



The Portuguese on board the ship, imagining that 
the schooner, finding she had met with unexpected 
resistance, had sheered off, gave a loud cheer. 

" The last you will ever give, my fine fellows ! " 
observed Cain, with a sneer. 

In a few moments the schooner had run a mile 
astern of the ship. 

" Now, then, Hawkhurst, let her come to and about ; 
man the long gun, and see that every shot is pitched 
into her, while the rest of them get up a new foretop- 
mast, and knot and splice the rigging." 

The schooner's head was again turned towards the 
ship ; her position was right astern, about a mile 
distant, or rather more; the long 32-pounder gun 
a-mid-ships was now regularly served, every shot 
passing through the cabin-windows, or some other 
part of the ship's stern, raking her fore and aft. In 
vain did the ship alter her course, and present her 
broadside to the schooner ; the latter was immediately 
checked in her speed, so as to keep the prescribed 
distance at which the carronades of the ship were 
useless, and the execution from the long gun decisive. 
The ship was at the mercy of the pirate ; and, as may 
be expected, no mercy was shewn. For three hours 
did this murderous attack continue, when the gun, 
which, as before observed, was of brass, became so 



88 THE ATTACK. 



heated that the pirate-captain desired his men to dis- 
continue. Whether the ship had surrendered or not 
it was impossible to say, as it was too dark to distin- 
guish : while the long gun was served, the foretop-mast 
and main-gaff had been shifted, and all the standing 
and running-rigging made good ; the schooner keeping 
her distance, and following in the wake of the ship 
until daylight. 

We must now repair on board of the ship : she was 
an Indiaman ; one of the very few that occasionally are 
sent out by the Portuguese government to a country 
which once owned their undivided sway, but in which, 
at present, they hold but a few miles of territory. She 
was bound to Goa, and had on board a small detach- 
ment of troops, a new governor and his two sons, a 
bishop and his niece, with her attendant. The sailing 
of a vessel with such a freight was a circumstance of 
rare occurrence ; and was, of course, generally bruited 
about long before her departure. Cain had, for some 
months, received all the necessary intelligence relative 
to her cargo and destination; but, as usual with the 
Portuguese of the present day, delay upon delay had 
followed, and it was not until about three weeks 
previous that he had been assured of her immediate 
departure. He then ran down the coast to the bay 
we have mentioned that he might intercept her ; and, 



THE ATTACK. 89 



as the event has proved, shewed his usual judgment 
and decision. The fire of the schooner had been 
most destructive : many of the Indiaman's crew, as 
well as of the troops, had been mowed down one 
after another; until, at last, finding that all their 
efforts to defend themselves were useless, most of those 
who were still unhurt had consulted their safety, and 
hastened down to the lowest recesses of the hold to 
avoid the raking and destructive shot. At the time 
that the schooner had discontinued her fire to allow 
the " gun to cool, there was no one on deck but the 
Portuguese captain and one old weather-beaten seaman 
who stood at the helm. Below, in the orlop-deck, 
the remainder of the crew and the passengers were 
huddled together in a small space : some were attend- 
ing to the wounded, who were numerous ; others were 
invoking the saints to their assistance; the bishop, a 
tall, dignified person, apparently nearly sixty years of 
age, was kneeling in the centre of the group, which 
was dimly lighted by two or three lanterns, at one 
time in fervent prayer, at another, interrupted, that he 
might give absolution to those wounded men whose 
spirits were departing, and who were brought down 
and laid before him by their comrades. On one side 
of him knelt his orphan niece, a young girl of about 
seventeen years of age, watching his countenance as 



90 THE ATTACK. 



he prayed, or bending down with a look of pity and 
tearful eyes on her expiring countrymen, whose last 
moments were gladdened by his holy offices. On the 
other side of the bishop stood the governor, Don Philip 
de Ribiera, and his two sons, youths in their prime, 
and holding commissions in the king's service. There 
was melancholy on the brow of Don Ribiera; he was 
prepared for, and he anticipated the worst. The eldest 
son had his eyes fixed upon the sweet countenance of 
Teresa de Silva — that very evening, as they walked 
together on the deck, had they exchanged their vows — 
that very evening they had luxuriated in the present, 
and had dwelt with delightful anticipation on the future. 
But we must leave them and return on deck. 

The captain of the Portuguese ship had walked aft, 
and now went up to Antonio, the old seaman, who 
was standing at the wheel. 

"I still see her with the glass, Antonio, and yet 
she has not fired for nearly two hours; do you think 
any accident has happened to her long gun? if so, 
we may have some chance." 

Antonio shook his head. " We have but little 
chance, I am afraid, my captain ; I knew by the ring 
of the gun, when she first fired it, that it was brass; 
indeed, no schooner could carry a long iron gun of 
that calibre. Depend upon it, she only waits for the 



THE ATTACK. 91 



metal to cool and daylight to return: a long gun or 
two might have saved us, but now, as she has the 
advantage of us in heels, we are at her mercy." 
"What can she be — a French privateer?" 
"I trust it may be so; and I have promised a 
silver candlestick to St. Antonio that it may prove 
no worse : we then may have some chance of seeing 
our homes again ; but I fear not." 

" What, then, do you imagine her to be, Antonio ? " 
" The pirate which we have heard so much of." 
" Jesu protect us ! we must then sell our lives as 
dearly as we can." 

" So I intend to do, my captain," replied Antonio, 
shifting the helm a spoke. 

The day broke, and shewed the schooner continuing 
her pursuit at the same distance astern, without any 
apparent movement on board. It was not until the sun 
was some degrees above the horizon that the smoke 
was again seen to envelope her bows, and the shot 
crashed through the timbers of the Portuguese ship. 
The reason for this delay was, that the pirate waited 
till the sun was up to ascertain if there were any 
other vessels to be seen, previous to his pouncing 
on his quarry. The Portuguese captain went aft and 
hoisted his ensign, but no flag was shewn by the 
schooner. Again whistled the ball, and again did it 



92 THE ATTACK. 



tear up the decks of the unfortunate ship : many 
of those who had reascended to ascertain what was 
going on, now hastily sought their former retreat. 

" Mind the helm, Antonio," said the Portuguese 
captain ; " I must go down and consult with the 
governor." 

" Never fear, my captain ; as long as these limbs 
hold together I will do my duty," replied the old man, 
exhausted as he was by long watching and fatigue. 

The captain descended to the orlop-deck, where he 
found the major part of the crew and passengers 
assembled. 

" My lords," said he, addressing the governor and 
bishop, " the schooner has not shewn any colours, 
although our own are hoisted. I am come down to 
know your pleasure. Defence we can make none ; 
and I fear that we are at the mercy of a pirate." 

"A pirate!" ejaculated several, beating their breasts 
and calling upon their saints. 

" Silence, my good people, silence," quietly observed 
the bishop ; " as to what it may be best to do," con- 
tinued he, turning to the captain, " I cannot advise ; I 
am a man of peace, and unfit to hold a place in a 
council of war. Don Bibiera, I must refer the point 
to you and your sons. Tremble not, my dear Teresa; 
are we not under the protection of the Almighty?" 



THE ATTACK. 93 



" Holy Virgin, pity us ! " exclaimed Teresa. 

"Come, my sons," said Don Ribiera, "we will go 
on deck and consult : let not any of the men follow us ; 
it is useless risking lives which may yet be valuable." 

Don Ribiera and his sons followed the captain to 
the quarter-deck, and with him and Antonio they held 
a consultation. 

" We have but one chance," observed the old man, 
after a time : " let us haul down our colours as if in 
submission ; they will then range up alongside, and 
either board us from the schooner, or from their boats ; 
at all events, we shall find out what she is, and, if a 
pirate, we must sell our lives as dearly as we can. If, 
when we haul down the colours, she ranges up along- 
side, as I expect she will, let all the men be prepared 
for a desperate struggle." 

" You are right, Antonio," replied the governor ; 
" go aft; captain, and haul down the colours ; — let us 
see what she does now. Down, my boys ! and pre- 
pare the men to do their duty." 

As Antonio had predicted, so soon as the colours 
were hauled down, the schooner ceased firing and 
made sail. She ranged up on the quarter of the ship, 
and up to her main peak soared the terrific black flag ; 
her broadside was poured into the Indiaman, and 
before the smoke had cleared away there was a con- 



94 THE ATTACK. 



cussion from the meeting sides, and the bearded pirates 
poured upon her decks. 

The crew of the Portuguese, with the detachment of 
troops, still formed a considerable body of men. The 
sight of the black flag had struck ice into every heart, 
but the feeling was resolved into one of desperation. 

"Knives, men! knives!" roared Antonio, rushing 
on to the attack, followed by the most brave. 

" Blood for blood ! " cried the second mate, aiming 
a blow at the old man. 

" You have it," replied Antonio, as his knife entered 
the pirate's heart, while, at the same moment, he fell 
and was himself a corpse. 

The struggle was deadly, but the numbers and 
ferocity of the pirates prevailed. Cain rushed forward 
followed by Hawkhurst, bearing down all who opposed 
them. With one blow from the pirate-captain the 
head of Don Ribiera was severed to the shoulder ; 
a second struck down the eldest son, while the sword 
of Hawkhurst passed through the body of the other. 
The Portuguese captain had already fallen, and the 
men no longer stood their ground. A general massacre 
ensued, and the bodies were thrown overboard as fast 
as the men were slaughtered. In less than five minutes 
there was not a living Portuguese on the bloody decks 
of the ill-fated ship. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE CAPTURE. 

" Pass the word for not* 1 a man to go below, Hawk- 
hurst !" said the pirate-captain. 

" I have, sir ; and sentries are stationed at the 
hatchways. Shall we haul the schooner off?" 

" No, let her remain ; the breeze is faint already : 
we shall have a calm in half an hour. Have we lost 
many men ? " 

" Only seven, that I can reckon ; but we have lost 
Wallace" (the second mate). 

" A little promotion will do no harm," replied Cain ; 
"take a dozen -of our best men and search the ship, 
there are others alive yet. By the by, send a watch 
on board of the schooner ; she is left to the mercy 
of the Kroumen, and " 

" One who is better out of her," replied Hawkhurst. 
" And those we find below " continued the mate. 

"Alive!" 

" True ; we may else be puzzled where to find that 
portion of her cargo which suits us," said Hawkhurst, 



96 THE CAPTURE. 



going down the hatchway to collect the men who were 
plundering on the main deck and in the captain's 
cabin. 

" Here, you Maltese ! up, there ! and look well 
round if there is any thing in sight/' said the captain, 
walking aft. 

Before Hawkhurst had collected the men and ordered 
them on board of the schooner, as usual in those 
latitudes, it had fallen a perfect calm. 

Where was Francisco during this scene of blood? 
He had remained in the cabin of the schooner. Cain 
had more than once gone down to him, to persuade 
him to come on deck and assist at the boarding of 
the Portuguese, but in vain — his sole reply to the 
threats and solicitations of the pirate was, — 

" Do with me as you please — I have made up my 
mind — you know I do not fear death — so long as I 
remain on board of this vessel I will take no part in 
your atrocities. If you do respect my mother's memory, 
suffer her son to seek an honest and honourable 
livelihood." 

These words of Francisco were ringing in the ears 
of Cain as he walked up and down on the quarter- 
deck of the Portuguese vessel, and, debased as he was, 
he could not help feeling that the youth was his equal 
in animal, and his superior in mental courage — he was 



THE CAPTURE. i)7 



arguing in his own mind upon the course he should 
pursue with respect to Francisco, when Hawkhurst 
made his appearance on deck, followed by his men, 
who dragged up six individuals who had escaped the 
massacre. These were the bishop ; his niece ; a Portu- 
guese girl, her attendant ; the supercargo of the vessel ; 
a sacristan ; and a servant of the ecclesiastic : they were 
hauled along the deck and placed in a row before the 
captain, who cast his eyes upon them in severe scrutiny. 
The bishop and his niece looked round, the one proudly 
meeting the eye of Cain, although he felt that his hour 
was come ; the other, carefully avoiding his gaze, and 
glancing round to ascertain whether there were any 
other prisoners, and, if so, if her betrothed was amongst 
them ; but her eye discovered not what she sought — 
it was met only by the bearded faces of the pirate-crew, 
and the blood which bespattered the deck. 

She covered her face with her hands. 

" Bring that man forward," said Cain, pointing to 
the servant. " Who are you. ? " 

" A servant of my lord the bishop." 

" And you ? " continued the captain. 

" A poor sacristan attending upon my lord the 
bishop." 

"And you?" cried he to the third. 

" The supercargo of this vessel." 



98 THE CAPTURE. 



"Put him aside, Hawkhurst!" 

"Do you want the others?" inquired Hawkhurst, 
significantly. 

" No." 

Hawkhurst gave a signal to some of the pirates, 
who led away the sacristan and the servant. A stifled 
shriek and a heavy plunge in the water were heard 
a few seconds after. During this time, the pirate had 
been questioning the supercargo as to the contents of 
the vessel, and her stowage, when he was suddenly 
interrupted by one of the pirates, who, in a hurried 
voice, stated that the ship had received several shot 
between wind and water, and was sinking fast. Cain, 
who was standing on the slide of the carronade with 
his sword in his hand, raised his arm and struck the 
pirate a blow on his head with the hilt, which, whether 
intended or not, fractured his skull, and the man fell 
upon the deck. 

" Take that, babbler ! for your intelligence ; if these 
men are obstinate, we may have worked for nothing." 

The crew, who felt the truth of their captain's 
remark, did not appear to object to the punishment 
inflicted, and the body of the man was dragged away. 

" What mercy can we expect from those who shew 
no mercy even to each other?" observed the bishop, 
lifting up his eyes to heaven. 



THE CAPTURE. 99 



" Silence ! " cried Cain ; who now interrogated the 
supercargo as to the contents of the hold — the poor 
man answered as well as he could — " the plate ! the 
money for the troops — were are they?" 

" The money for the troops is in the spirit-room, 
but of the plate I know nothing ; it is in some of the 
cases belonging to my lord the bishop." 

" Hawkhurst ! down at once into the spirit-room 
and see to the money ; in the mean time I will ask 
a few questions of this reverend father." 

" And the supercargo — do you want him any more ?" 

" No ; he may go." 

The poor man fell down on his knees in thankfulness 
at what he considered his escape : he was dragged 
away by the pirates, and, it is scarcely necessary to 
add, that in a minute his body was torn to pieces by 
the sharks, who, scenting their prey from a distance, 
were now playing in shoals around the two vessels. 

The party on the quarter-deck, were now (unper- 
ceived by the captain) joined by Francisco, who, 
hearing from the Krouman, Pompey, that there were 
prisoners still on board, and amongst them two females, 
had come over to plead the cause of mercy. 

" Most reverend father," observed Cain, after a 
short pause; "you have many articles of value in 
this vessel?" 



100 THE CAPTURE. 



" None," replied the bishop, " except this poor 
girl; she is, indeed, beyond price, and will, I trust, 
be soon an angel in heaven." 

"Yet is this world, if what you preach be true, a 
purgatory which must be passed through previous to 
arriving there, and that girl may think death a blessing 
compared to what she may expect if you refuse to tell 
me what I would know. You have good store of 
gold and silver ornaments for your churches — where 
are they?" 

" They are among the packages intrusted to my 
care." 

" How many may you have in all ? " 

" A hundred, if not more." 

" Will you deign to inform me where I may find 
what I require?" 

"The gold and silver are not mine, but are the 
property of that God to whom they have been dedi- 
cated," replied the bishop. 

"Answer quickly; no more subterfuge, good sir. 
Where is it to be found?" 

" I will not tell, thou blood-stained man ; at least, 
in this instance, there shall be disappointment, and 
the sea shall swallow up those earthly treasures to 
obtain which thou hast so deeply imbrued thy hands. 
Pirate ! I repeat it, I will not tell." 



THE CAPTURE. 101 



"Seize that girl, my lads!" cried Cain; "she is 
yours, do with her as you please." 

" Save me ! oh, save me ! " shreiked Teresa, clinging 
to the bishop's robe. 

The pirates advanced and laid hold of Teresa. 
Francisco bounded from where he stood behind the 
captain, and dashed away the foremost. 

" Are you men ? " cried he, as the pirates retreated. 
" Holy sir, I honour you. Alas ! I cannot save you," 
continued Francisco, mournfully. " Yet will I try. 
On my knees — by the love you bore my mother — by 
the affection you once bore me — do not commit this 
horrid deed. My lads !" continued Francisco, appeal- 
ing to the pirates, "join with me and entreat your 
captain; ye are too brave, too manly, to injure the 
helpless and the innocent — above all to shed the blood 
of a holy man, and of this poor trembling maiden." 

There was a pause — even the pirates appeared to 
side with Francisco, though none of them dared to 
speak. The muscles of the captain's face quivered 
with emotion, but from what source could not be 
ascertained. 

At this moment the interest of the scene was height- 
ened. The girl who attended upon Teresa, crouched 
on her knees with terror, had been casting her fearful 
eyes upon the men which composed the pirate-crew ; 



102 THE CAPTURE. 



suddenly she uttered a scream of delight as she dis- 
covered among them one that she well knew. He was 
a young man, about twenty-five years of age, with little 
or no beard. He had been her lover in his more 
innocent days ; and she, for more than a year, had 
mourned him as dead, for the vessel in which he sailed 
had never been heard of. It had been^ taken by the 
pirate, and, to save his life, he had joined the crew. 

" Filippo ! Filippo ! " screamed the girl, rushing into 
his arms. " Mistress ! it is Filippo ; and we are safe." 

Filippo instantly recognized her : the sight of her 
brought back to his memory his days of happiness 
and of innocence ; and the lovers were clasped in 
each other's arms. 

" Save them ! spare them ! — by the spirit of my 
mother ! I charge you," repeated Francisco, again 
appealing to the captain. 

" May God bless thee, thou good young man," 
said the bishop, advancing and placing his hand upon 
Francisco's head. 

Cain answered not; but his broad expanded chest 
heaved with emotion — when Hawkhurst burst into 
the group. 

" We are too late for the money, captain ; the 
water is already six feet above it. We must now try 
for the treasure." 



THE CAPTURE. 103 



This intelligence appeared to check the current of 
the captain's feelings. 

" Now, in one word, sir," said he to the bishop, 
" where is the treasure ? trifle not, or, by heaven ! " 

" Name not heaven," replied the bishop : " you 
have had my answer." 

The captain turned away, and gave some directions 
to Hawkhurst, who hastened below. 

" Remove that boy," said Cain to the pirates, point- 
ing to Francisco. " Separate those two fools," con- 
tinued he, looking towards Filippo and the girl, who 
were sobbing in each other's arms. 

" Never ! " cried Filippo. 

" Throw the girl to the sharks ! Do you hear ? 
am I to be obeyed?" cried Cain raising his cutlass. 

Filippo started up, disengaged himself from the girl, 
and, drawing his knife, rushed towards the captain 
to plunge it in his bosom. 

With the quickness of lightning the captain caught 
his uplifted hand, and, breaking his wrist, hurled him 
to the deck. 

" Indeed ! " cried he, with a sneer. 

" You shall not separate us," said Filippo, attempt- 
ing to rise. 

"I do not intend it, my good lad," replied Cain; 
"lash them both together and launch them overboard." 



104 THE CAPTURE. 



This order was now obeyed; for the pirates not 
only quailed before the captain's cool courage, but 
were indignant that his life had been attempted. There 
was little occasion to tie the unhappy pair together; 
they were locked so fast in each other's arms that it 
would have been impossible almost to separate them. 
In this state they were carried to the entering-port, 
and cast into the sea. 

" Monster ! " cried the bishop, as he heard the splash, 
" thou wilt have a heavy reckoning for this." 

" Now bring these forward," said Cain, with a 
savage voice. 

The bishop and his niece were led to the gangway. 

" What dost thou see, good bishop ? " said Cain, 
pointing to the discoloured water, and the rapid 
motion of the fins of the sharks — eager in the antici- 
pation of a further supply. 

"I see ravenous creatures after their kind," replied 
the bishop, " who will, in all probability, soon tear 
asunder these poor limbs; but I see no monster like 
thyself. Teresa, dearest, fear not ; there is a God, 
an avenging God, as well as a rewarding one. 

But Teresa's eyes were closed — she could not look 
upon the scene. 

" You have your choice ; first torture, and then 
your body to those sharks for your own portion: and, 



THE CAPTURE. 105 



as for the girl, this moment I hand her over to my 
crew." 

ie Never ! " shrieked Teresa, springing from the deck 
and plunging into the wave. 

There was the splash of contention, the lashing of 
tails, until the water was in a foam, and then the dark 
colour gradually cleared away, and naught was to be 
seen but the pure blue wave and the still unsatiated 
monsters of the deep. 

" The screws — the screws — quick ! we '11 have the 
secret from him," cried the pirate-captain, turning to 
his crew, who, villains as they were, had been shocked 
at this last catastrophe — " seize him ! " 

" Touch him not ! " cried Francisco, standing on 
the hammock-nettings ; " touch him not ! if you are 
men." 

Boiling with rage, Cain let go the arm of the bishop, 
drew his pistol and levelled it at Francisco. The 
bishop threw up the arm of Cain as he fired ; saw 
that he had missed his aim, and clasped his hands, 
raising his eyes to heaven in thankfulness at Francisco's 
escape. In this position he was collared by Hawkhurst, 
whose anger overcame his discretion, and who hurled 
him through the entering-port into the sea. 

" Officious fool ! " muttered Cain, when he per- 
ceived what the mate had done. Then, recollecting 



106 THE CAPTURE. 



himself, he cried, — " Seize that boy and bring him 
here." 

One or two of the crew advanced to obey his orders ; 
but Pompey and the Kroumen, who had been attentive 
to what was going on, had collected round Francisco, 
and a scuffle ensued. The pirates, not being very 
determined, nor very anxious to take Francisco, allowed 
him to be hurried away in the centre of the Kroumen, 
who bore him safely to the schooner. 

In the mean time Hawkhurst, and the major part 
of the men on board of the ship, had been tearing up 
the hold to obtain the valuables, but without success. 
The water had now reached above the orlop-deck, 
and all further attempts were unavailing. The ship 
was settling fast, and it became necessary to quit her, 
and haul off the schooner, that she might not be 
endangered by the vortex of the sinking vessel. Cain 
and Hawkhurst, with their disappointed crew, returned 
on board the schooner, and, before they had succeeded 
in detaching the two vessels a cable's length, the ship 
went down with all the treasure so coveted. The 
indignation and rage which were expressed by the 
captain as he rapidly walked the deck in company 
with his first mate — his violent gesticulations — proved 
to the crew that there was mischief brewing. Francisco 
did not return to the cabin ; he remained forward with 



THE CAPTURE. 107 



the Kroumen, who, although but a small portion of the 
ship's company, were known to be resolute and not 
to be despised. It was also observed that all of them 
had supplied themselves with arms, and were collected 
forward, huddled together, watching every motion and 
manoeuvre, and talking rapidly in their own language. 
The schooner was now steered to the north-westward 
under all press of sail. The sun again disappeared, 
but Francisco returned not to the cabin — he went 
below, surrounded by the Kroumen, who appeared to 
have devoted themselves to his protection. Once 
during the night Hawkhurst summoned them on deck, 
but they obeyed not the order; and, to the expostu- 
lation of the boatswain's mate who came down, they 
made no reply. But there were many of the pirates 
in the schooner who appeared to coincide with the 
Kroumen in their regard for Francisco. There are 
shades of villany in the most profligate of societies ; 
and, among the pirate's crew, some were not yet wholly 
debased. The foul murder of a holy man — the cruel 
fate of the beautiful Teresa — and the barbarous conduct 
of the captain towards Filippo and his mistress, were 
deeds of an atrocity to which even the most hardened 
were unaccustomed. Francisco's pleadings in behalf 
of mercy were at least no crime; and yet they con- 
sidered that Francisco was doomed. He was a general 



108 THE CAPTURE. 



favourite; the worst disposed of the pirates, with the 
exception of Hawkhurst, if they did not love, could not 
forbear respecting him; although, at the same time, 
they felt that if Francisco remained on board, the 
power even of Cain himself would soon be destroyed. 
For many months Hawkhurst, who detested the youth, 
had been most earnest that he should be sent out of 
the schooner. Now he pressed the captain for his 
removal in any way, as necessary for their mutual 
safety, pointing out to Cain the conduct of the Krou- 
men, and his fears that a large proportion of the ship's 
company were equally disaffected. Cain felt the truth 
of Hawkhurst's representation ; and he went down to 
his cabin to consider upon what should be done. 

It was past midnight, when Cain, worn out with the 
conflicting passions of the day, fell into an uneasy 
slumber. His dreams were of Francisco's mother — 
she appeared to him pleading for her son, and Cain 
" babbled in his sleep." At this time Francisco, with 
Pompey, had softly crawled aft, that they might obtain, 
if they found the captain asleep, the pistols of Francisco, 
with some ammunition. Pompey slipped in first, and 
started back when he heard the captain's voice. They 
remained at the cabin-door listening. " No — no," mut- 
tered Cain, " he must die — useless — plead not, woman ! 
— I know I murdered thee — plead not, he dies ! " 



THE CAPTURE. 109 



In one of the sockets of the silver lamp there was a 
lighted //ick, the rays of which were sufficient to afford 
a dim view of the cabin. Francisco, overhearing the 
words of Cain, stepped in, and walked up to the side 
of the bed. " Boy ! plead not," continued Cain, 
lying on his back and breathing heavily — "plead 
not — woman! to-morrow he dies." A pause ensued, 
as if the sleeping man was listening to a reply. " Yes, 
as I murdered thee, so will I murder him." 

" Wretch," said Francisco, in a low solemn voice, 
"didst thou kill my mother?" 

" I did — I did," responded Cain, still sleeping. 

"And why?" continued Francisco, who, at this 
acknowledgment on the part of the sleeping captain, 
was careless of discovery. 

" In my mood — she vexed me," answered Cain. 

" Fiend ! thou hast then confessed it," cried Fran- 
cisco in a loud voice, which awoke the captain, who 
started up, but, before his senses were well recovered, 
or his eyes open so as to distinguish their forms, 
Pompey struck out the light, and all was darkness ; 
he then put his hand to Francisco's mouth, and led 
him out of the cabin. 

" Who 's there ? — who 's there ? " cried Cain. 

The officer in charge of the deck hastened down. 
"Did you call, sir?" 



HO THE CAPTURE. 



"Call," repeated the captain — "I thought there 
was some one in the cabin. I want a light,— that 's 
all," continued he, recovering himself, as he wiped 
the cold perspiration from his forehead. 

In the mean time Francisco, with Pompey, had 
gained his former place of refuge with the Kroumen. 
The feelings of the young man changed from agony 
to revenge; his object in returning to the cabin to 
recover his weapons had been frustrated, but his deter- 
mination now was to take the life of the captain if he 
possibly could. The following morning the Kroumen 
again refused to work or go on deck ; and the state 
of affairs was reported by Hawkhurst to his chief. 
The mate now assumed another tone; for he had 
sounded not the majority but the most steady and 
influential men on board, who, like himself, were 
veterans in crime. 

" It must be, sir ; or you will no longer command 
this vessel. I am desired to say so.'* 

" Indeed," replied Cain, with a sneer ; " perhaps 
you have already chosen my successor." 

Hawkhurst perceived that he had lost ground, and 
he changed his manner. " I speak but for yourself: 
if you do not command this vessel I shall not remain 
in her — if you quit her, I quit also ; and we must find 
another." 



THE CAPTURE. Ill 



Cain was pacified, and the subject was not renewed. 

" Turn the hands up," at last said the captain. The 
pirate-crew assembled aft. 

" My lads, I am sorry that our laws oblige me to 
make an example ; but mutiny and disaffection must 
be punished. I am equally bound as yourselves by 
the laws which we have laid down for our guidance 
while we sail together; and you may believe that in 
doing my duty in this instance, I am guided by a 
sense of justice, and wish to prove to you that I am 
worthy to command. Francisco has been with me 
since he was a child ; he has lived with me, and it is 
painful to part with him : but I am here to see that our 
laws are put in force. He has been guilty of repeated 
mutiny and contempt, and — he must die." 

" Death ! death ! " cried several of the pirates in 
advance — "death and justice!" 

" No more murder ! " said several voices from 
behind. 

"Who's that—that speaks?" 

"Too much murder yesterday — no more murder!" 
shouted several voices at once. 

" Let the men come forward who speak," cried Cain, 
with a withering look. No one obeyed this order. 
" Down, then, my men ! and bring up Francisco." 

The whole of the pirate-crew hastened below, but 



112 THE CAPTURE. 



with different intentions; some were determined to 
seize Francisco, and hand him over to death — others 
to protect him. A confused noise was heard — the 
shouts of Down, and seize him! opposed to those of 
No murder! No murder! 

Both parties had snatched up their arms ; those 
who sided with Francisco joined the Kroumen, whilst 
the others also hastened below to bring him on deck. 
A slight scuffle ensued before they separated, and 
ascertained by the separation the strength of the con- 
tending parties. Francisco, perceiving that he was 
joined by a large body, desired his men to follow him, 
went up the fore ladder, and took possession of the 
forecastle. The pirates on his side supplied him with 
arms, and Francisco stood forward in advance. Hawk- 
hurst, and those of the crew who sided with him, had 
retreated to the quarter-deck, and rallied round the 
captain, who leaned against the capstern. They were 
then able to estimate their comparative strength. The 
number, on the whole, preponderated in favour of 
Francisco; but on the captain's side were the older 
and more athletic of the crew, and, we may add, the 
more determined. Still, the captain and Hawkhurst 
perceived the danger of their situation, and it was 
thought advisable to parley for the present, and wreak 
their vengeance hereafter. For a few minutes there 



THE CAPTURE. 113 



was a low consultation between both parties ; at last 
Cain advanced. 

" My lads," said he, addressing those who had rallied 
round Francisco, " I little thought that a firebrand 
would have been cast in this vessel to set us all at vari- 
ance. It was my duty, as your captain, to propose that 
our laws should be enforced. Tell me, now, what it is 
that you wish. I am only here as your captain, and to 
take the sense of the whole crew. I have no animosity 
against that lad ; I have loved him — I have cherished 
him; but, like a viper, he has stung me in return. 
Instead of being in arms against each other, ought we 
not to be united? I have, therefore, one proposal to 
make to you, which is this : let the sentence go by vote 
or ballot, if you please ; and whatever the sentence may 
be, I shall be guided by it. Can I say more ? " 

" My lads," replied Francisco, when the captain had 
done speaking, " I think it better that you should 
accept this proposal, rather than that blood should be 
shed. My life is of little consequence ; say, then, will 
you agree to the vote, and submit to those laws, which, 
as the captain says, have been laid down to regulate 
the discipline of the vessel ? " 

The pirates on Francisco's side looked round among 
their party, and, perceiving that they were the most 
numerous, consented to the proposal; but Hawkhurst 



114 



THE CAPTURE. 



stepped forward and observed : " Of course, the Krou- 
men can have no votes, as they do not belong to the 
vessel." 

This objection was important, as they amounted to 
twenty-five, and, after that number was deducted, in all 
probability, Francisco's adherents would have been in 
the minority. The pirates with Francisco objected, 
and again assumed the attitude of defence. 

" One moment," said Francisco, stepping in advance ; 
" before this point is settled, I wish to take the sense 
of all of you as to another of your laws. I ask you, 
Hawkhurst, and all you who are now opposed to me, 
whether you have not one law which is, Blood for blood" 

"Yes — yes," shouted all the pirates. 

" Then let your captain stand forward, and answer 
to my charge, if he dares." 

Cain curled his lip in derision, and walked within 
two yards of Francisco. 

"Well, boy, I'm here; and what is your charge?" 

" First — I ask you, Captain Cain, who are so anxious 
that the laws should be enforced, whether you acknow- 
ledge that ' Blood for blood ' is a just law ?" 

" Most just : and, when shed, the party who revenges 
is not amenable." 

"Tis well: then, villain that thou art, answer — 
Didst thou not murder my mother?" 



THE CAPTURE. 115 



Cain, at this accusation, started. 

" Answer the truth, or lie like a recreant," repeated 
Francisco; "Did you not murder my mother?" 

The captain's lips and the muscles of his face 
quivered, but he did not reply. 

" Blood for blood ! " cried Francisco, as he fired his 
pistol at Cain, who staggered, and fell on the deck. 

Hawkhurst and several of the pirates hastened to 
the captain, and raised him. 

" She must have told him last night," said Cain, 
speaking with difficulty, as the blood flowed from the 
wound. 

" He told me so himself," said Francisco, turning 
round to those who stood by him. 

Cain was taken down into the cabin. On examina- 
tion, his wound was not mortal, although the loss of 
blood had been rapid and very great. In a few minutes 
Hawkhurst joined the party on the quarter-deck. He 
found that the tide had turned more in Francisco's 
favour than he had expected ; the law of " Blood for 
blood " was held most sacred : indeed, it was but the 
knowledge that it was solemnly recognised, and that, 
if one pirate wounded another, that other was at liberty 
to take his life, without punishment, which prevented 
constant affrays between parties, whose knives would 
otherwise have been the answer to every affront. It 



116 THE CAPTURE. 



was a more debased law of duelling, which kept such 
profligate associates on good terms. Finding, there- 
fore, that this feeling predominated, even among those 
who were opposed to Francisco on the other question, 
Hawkhurst thought it advisable to parley. 

" Hawkhurst," said Francisco, " I have but one 
request to make, which, if complied with, will put 
an end to this contention ; it is, that you will put 
me on shore at the first land that we make. If you 
and your party engage to do this, I will desire those 
who support me to return to their obedience." 

" I grant it," replied Hawkhurst ; " and so will the 
others. Will you not, my men?" 

" Agreed — agreed upon all sides," cried the pirates, 
throwing away their weapons and mingling with each 
other, as if they never had been opposed. 

There is an old saying, that there is honour amongst 
thieves ; and so it often proves. Every man in the 
vessel knew that this agreement would be strictly 
adhered to ; and Francisco now walked the deck with 
as much composure as if nothing had occurred. 

Hawkhurst, who was aware that he must fulfil his 
promise, carefully examined the charts when he went 
down below, came up and altered the course of the 
schooner two points more to the northward. The 
next morning he was up at the mast-head nearly half 



THE CAPTURE. 117 



an hour, when he descended, and again altered the 
course. By nine o'clock, a low sandy island appeared 
on the lee bow; when within half a mile of it, he 
ordered the schooner to be hove to, and lowered down 
the small boat from the stern. He then turned the 
hands up. " My lads, we must keep our promise, to 
put Francisco on shore at the first land which we made. 
There it is ; " and a malicious smile played on the 
miscreant's features, as he pointed out to them the 
barren sand-bank, which promised nothing but starva- 
tion and a lingering death. Several of the crew 
murmured ; but Hawkhurst was supported by his own 
party, and had, moreover, taken the precaution quietly 
to remove all the arms, with the exception of those 
with which his adherents were provided. 

" An agreement is an agreement ; it is what he 
requested himself, and we promised to perform. Send 
for Francisco." 

" I am here, Hawkhurst ; and I tell you candidly, 
that desolate as is that barren spot, I prefer it to 
remaining in your company. I will bring my chest 
up immediately." 

" No — no ; that was not a part of the agreement," 
cried Hawkhurst. 

" Every man here has a right to his own property. 
I appeal to the whole of the crew." 



118 THE CAPTURE. 



" True — true," replied the pirates ; and Hawkhurst 
found himself again in the minority. 

"Be it so." 

The chest of Francisco was handed into the boat. 

" Is that all ? " cried Hawkhurst. 

" My lads, am I to have no provisions or water ? " 
inquired Francisco. 

" No," replied Hawkhurst. 

" Yes — yes," cried most of the pirates. 

Hawkhurst did not dare put it to the vote ; he 
turned sulkily away. The Kroumen brought up two 
breakers of water, and some pieces of pork. 

" Here, massa," said Pompey, putting into Fran- 
cisco's hand a fishing-line with hooks. 

"Thank you, Pompey; but I had forgot — that 
book in the cabin — you know which I mean." 

Pompey nodded his head, and went below; but it 
was some time before he returned, during which Hawk- 
hurst became impatient. It was a very small boat which 
had been lowered down; it had a lug-sail and two 
pair of sculls in it, and was quite full when Francisco's 



chest and the other articles 


had been 


put 


in. 




" Come ! I have no time 


to wait," said Hawkhurst; 


"in the boat!" 










Francisco shook hands wi 


th many of the 


crew, 


and 


wished all of them farewell 


Indeed, 


now 


that 


they 



THE CAPTURE. 119 



beheld the poor lad about to be cast on a desolate 
island, even those most opposed to him, felt some 
emotions of pity. Although they acknowledged that 
his absence was necessary, yet they knew his deter- 
mined courage ; and with them that quality was 
always a strong appeal. 

" Who will row this lad ashore, and bring the boat 
off?" 

" Not I," replied one ; " it Would haunt me ever 
afterwards." 

So they all appeared to think, for no one volun- 
teered. Francisco jumped into the boat. 

" There is no room for any one but me ; and I will 
row myself on shore," cried he. " Farewell, my lads ! 
farewell !" 

" Stop ! not so ; he must not have the boat — he 
may escape from the island," cried Hawkhurst. 

"And why should'nt he, poor fellow?" replied the 
men; "let him have the boat." 

"Yes — yes, let him have the boat;" and Hawk- 
hurst was again overruled. 

"Here, Massa Francisco — here de book." 

"What's that, sir?" cried Hawkhurst, snatching 
the book out of Pompey's hand. 

" Him, massa, Bible." Francisco waited for the 
book. 



120 THE CAPTURE. 



"Shove off!" cried Hawkhurst. 

"Give me my book, Mr. Hawkhurst?" 

"No!" replied the malignant rascal, tossing the 
Bible over the tanrail; "he shall not have that. 
I 've heard say that there is consolation in it to the 
afflicted." 

Francisco shoved off his boat, and, seizing his sculls, 
pushed astern, picked up the book, which still floated, 
and laid it to dry on the after-thwart of the boat. He 
then pulled in for the shore. In the meantime the 
schooner had let draw her foresheet, and had already 
left him a quarter of a mile astern. Before Francisco 
had gained the sand-bank, she was hull-down to the 
northward. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE S A ND-B A N K. 

The first half hour that Francisco was on this 
desolate spot he watched the receding schooner : his 
thoughts were unconnected and vague. Wandering 
through the various scenes which had passed on the 
decks of that vessel, and recalling to his memory the 
different characters of those on board of her, much as 
he had longed to quit her — disgusted as he had been 
with those with whom he had been forced to associate ; 
still, as her sails grew fainter and fainter to his view, 
as she increased her distance, he more than once felt 
that even remaining on board of her would have been 
preferable to his present deserted lot. "No, no!" 
exclaimed he, after a little farther reflection, " I had 
rather perish here, than continue to witness the scenes 
which I have been forced to behold." 

He once more fixed his eyes upon her white sails, 
and then sat down on the loose sand, and remained in 
deep and melancholy reverie until the scorching heat 
reminded him of his situation ; he afterwards rose and 



122 THE SAND-BANK. 



turned his thoughts upon his present situation, and to 
what would be the measures most advisable to take. 
He hauled his little boat still farther on the beach, 
and attached the painter to one of the oars, which he 
fixed deep in the sand; he then proceeded to survey 
the bank, and found that but a small portion was 
uncovered at high-water ; for, trifling as was the rise 
of the tide, the bank was so low that the water flowed 
almost over it. The most elevated part was not more 
than fifteen feet above high-water mark, and that was 
a small knoll of about fifty feet in circumference. 

To this part he resolved to remove his effects : 
he returned to the boat, and, having lifted out his 
chest, the water, and provisions, with the other articles 
which he had obtained, he dragged them up, one by 
one, until they were all collected at the spot he had 
chosen. He then took out of the boat the oars and 
little sail, which, fortunately, had remained in her. 
His last object, to haul the little boat up to the same 
spot, was one which demanded all his exertion; but, 
after considerable fatigue, he contrived, by first lifting 
round her bow, and then her stern, to effect his 
object. 

Tired and exhausted, he then repaired to one of 
the breakers of water and refreshed himself. The 
heat, as the day advanced, had become intolerable ; 



THE SAND-BANK. 123 



but it stimulated him to fresh exertion. He turned 
over the boat, and contrived that the bow and stern 
should rest upon two little hillocks, so as to raise it 
above the level of the sand beneath it two or three 
feet; he spread out the sail from the keel above, with 
the thole-pins as pegs, so as to keep off the rays of 
the sun. Dragging the breakers of water and the 
provisions underneath the boat, he left his chest out- 
side ; and, having thus formed for himself a sort of 
covering which would protect him from the heat of 
the day and the damp of the night, he crept in, to 
shelter himself until the evening. 

Although Francisco had not been on deck, he knew 
pretty well whereabouts he then was. Taking out a 
chart from his chest, he examined the coast to ascer- 
tain the probable distance which he might be from 
any prospect of succour. He calculated that he was 
on one of a patch of sand-banks, off the coast of 
Loango, and about seven hundred miles from the Isle 
of St. Thomas — the nearest place where he might 
expect to fall in with an European face. From the 
coast he felt certain that he could not be more than 
forty or fifty miles at the most ; but could he trust him- 
self among the savage natives who inhabited it ? He 
knew how ill they had been treated by Europeans ; for, 
at that period, it was quite as common for the slave- 



124 THE SAND-BANK. 



traders to land and take the inhabitants away as slaves 
by force, as to purchase them in the more northern 
territories; still, he might be fortunate enough to fall 
in with some trader on the coast, as there were a few 
who still carried on a barter for gold-dust and ivory. 

We do not know-^we cannot conceive a situation 
much more deplorable than the one we have just 
described to have been that of Francisco. Alone — 
without a chance of assistance — with only a sufficiency 
of food for a few days, and cut off from the rest of 
his fellow-creatures, with only so much terra firma as 
would prevent his being swallowed up by the vast, 
unfathomable ocean, into which the horizon fell on 
every side around him, and his chance of escape how 
small! Hundreds of miles from any from whom he 
might expect assistance, and the only means of reaching 
them a small boat — a mere cockle-shell, which the 
first rough gale would inevitably destroy. 

Such, indeed, were the first thoughts of Francisco; 
but he soon recovered from his despondency. He 
was young, courageous, and buoyant with hope; and 
there is a feeling of pride — of trust in our own 
resources and exertions, which increases and stimulates 
us in proportion to our danger and difficulty: it is 
the daring of the soul, proving its celestial origin and 
eternal duration. 



THE SAND- BANK. 125 



So intense was the heat that Francisco almost 
panted for sufficient air to support life., as he lay 
under the shade of the boat during the whole of that 
day; not a breath of wind disturbed the glassy wave 
— all nature appeared hushed into one horrible calm. 
It was not until the shades of night were covering; 
the solitude, that Francisco ventured forth from his 
retreat; but he found little relief; there was an 
unnatural closeness in the air — a suffocation unusual 
even in those climes. Francisco cast his eyes up to 
the vault of heaven, and was astonished to find that 
there were no stars visible — a grey mist covered the 
whole firmament. He directed his view downwards 
to the horizon, and that, too, was not to be defined; 
there was a dark bank all around it. He walked to 
the edge of the sand-bank ; there was not even a 
ripple — the wide ocean appeared to be in a trance, 
in a state of lethargy or stupor. 

He parted the hair from his feverish brow, and once 
more surveying the horrible, lifeless, stagnant waste, 
his soul sickened, and he cast himself upon the sand. 
There he lay for many hours in a state bordering 
upon wild despair. At last he recovered himself; 
and, rising to his knees, he prayed for strength, and 
submission to the will of Heaven. 

When he was once more upon his feet, and had 



126 THE SAND-BANK. 



again scanned the ocean, he perceived that there was 
a change rapidly approaching. The dark bank on 
the horizon had now risen higher up; the opaque- 
ness was every where more dense; and low murmurs 
were heard, as if there was wind stirring aloft, although 
the sea was still glassy as a lake. Signs of some move- 
ment about to take place were evident, and the 
solitary youth watched and watched. And now the 
sounds increased — and here and there a wild thread 
of air — whence coming, who could tell ? and as rapidly 
disappearing, would ruffle, for a second, a portion of 
the stagnant sea. Then came whizzing sounds and 
moans, and then the rumbling noise of distant thunder 
— loud and louder yet — still louder — a broad black 
line is seen sweeping along the expanse of water — 
fearful in its rapidity — it comes! — it comes! — and 
the hurricane burst, at once and with all its force, 
and all its terrific sounds, upon the isolated Francisco. 
The first blast was so powerful and so unexpected 
that it threw him down; and prudence dictated to 
him to remain in that position, for the loose sand 
was swept off and whirled in such force as to blind 
and prevent his seeing a foot from him; he would 
have crawled to the boat for security, but he knew 
not in which direction to proceed. But this did not 
last; for now the water was borne up upon the strong 



THE SAND-BANK. 127 

wings of the hurricane, and the sand was rendered 
firm by its saturation with the element. 

Francisco felt that he was drenched, and he raised 
his head. All he could discover was, that the firma- 
ment was mantled with a darkness, horrible from its 
intensity, and that the sea was in one extended foam 
— boiling every where, and white as milk — but still 
smooth, as if the power of the wind had compelled 
it to be so; but the water had encroached, and one 
half the sand-bank was covered with it, while over 
the other the foam whirled, each portion chasing the 
other with wild rapidity. 

And now the windows of heaven were opened ; 
and the rain, mingled with the spray caught up by 
the hurricane, was dashed and hurled upon the forlorn 
youth, who still lay where he had been first thrown 
down. But of a sudden, a wash of water told him 
that he could there remain no longer: the sea was 
rising — rising fast; and, before he could gain a few 
paces on his hands and knees, another wave, as if 
it chased him in its wrath, repeated the warning of 
his extreme danger, and he was obliged to rise on 
his feet and hasten to the high part of the sand-bank, 
where he had drawn up his boat and his provisions. 

Blinded as he was by the rain and spray, he could 
distinguish nothing. Of a sudden, he fell violently; 



128 THE SAND-BANK. 



he had stumbled over one of the breakers of water, 
and his head struck against his sea-chest. Where, 
then, was the boat ? it was gone ! — it must have been 
swept away by the fury of the wind. Alas ! then, 
all chance was over ! and, if not washed away by 
the angry waters, he had but to prolong his existence 
but a few days, and then to die. The effect of the 
blow he had received on his forehead, with the shock 
of mind occasioned by the disappearance of the boat, 
overpowered him, and he remained for some time in 
a state of insensibility. 

When Francisco recovered, the scene was again 
changed; the wide expanse was now in a state of 
wild and fearful commotion, and the waters roared 
as loud as did the hurricane. The whole sand- 
bank, with the exception of that part on which he 
stood, was now covered with tumultuous foam; and 
his place of refuge was occasionally invaded, when 
some vast mass o'erlording the other waves, expended 
all its fury even to his feet. Francisco prepared 
to die ! 

But gradually the darkness of the heavens disap- 
peared, and there was no longer a bank upon the 
horizon; and Francisco hoped — alas! hoped what? 
— that he might be saved from the present impending 
death to be reserved for one still more horrible ; to 



THE SAND-BANK. 129 



be saved from the fury of the waves, which would 
swallow him up, and in a few seconds remove him 
from all pain and suffering, to perish for want of sus- 
tenance under a burning sun; to be withered — to be 
parched to death — calling in his agony for water ; and, 
as Francisco thought of this, he covered his face with 
his hands, and prayed, " Oh, God ! thy will be done ! 
but, in thy mercy, raise — still higher raise the waters ! " 
But the waters did not rise higher. The howling 
of the wind gradually decreased, and the foaming 
seas had obeyed the Divine injunction — they had 
gone so far, but no further ! And the day dawned, 
and the sky cleared ; and the first red tints, an- 
nouncing the return of light and heat, had appeared 
on the broken horizon, when the eyes of the despairing 
youth were directed to a black mass on the tumultuous 
waters. It was a vessel, with but one mast standing; 
rolling heavily, and running before the gale right on 
for the sand-bank where he stood; her hull one 
moment borne aloft, and the next disappearing from 
his view in the hollow of the agitated waters. She 
will be dashed to pieces, thought Francisco; she will 
be lost — they cannot see the bank! and he would 
have made a signal to her, if he had been able, to 
warn her of her danger, forgetting, at the time, his 
own desolate situation. 



130 THE SAND-BANK. 



As Francisco watched, the sun rose, bright and 
joyous, over this scene of anxiety and pain. On 
came the vessel, flying before the gale ; while the 
seas chased her as if they would fain overwhelm her. 
It was fearful to see her scud — agonizing to know 
that she was rushing to destruction. 

At last he could distinguish those on board. He 
waved his hand, but they perceived him not; he 
shouted, but his voice was borne away by the gale. 
On came the vessel, as if doomed. She was within 
two cables' length of the bank, when those on board 
perceived their danger. It was too late! — they 
rounded her to — another and another wave hurled 
her towards the sand. She struck ! — her only remain- 
ing mast fell over the side — and the roaring waves 
hastened to complete their work of destruction and 
of death ! 



CHAPTER XI 



THE ESCAPE. 



Francisco's eyes were fixed upon the vessel, over 
which the sea now broke with terrific violence. There 
appeared to be about eight or nine men on her deck, 
who sheltered themselves under the weather bulwarks. 
Each wave, as it broke against her side and then 
dashed in foam over her, threw her, with a convulsive 
jerk, still further on the sand-bank. At last she was 
so high up that their fury was partly spent before 
they dashed against her frame. Had the vessel been 
strong and well built; had she been a collier coasting 
the English shores, there was a fair chance that she 
might have withstood the fury of the storm until it 
had subsided, and that by remaining on board, the 
crew might have survived ; but she was of a very 
different mould, and, as Francisco justly surmised, an 
American brig, built for swift sailing, very sharp, and, 
moreover, very slightly put together. 

Francisco's eyes, as may easily be supposed, were 
never removed from the only object which could now 



132 THE ESCAPE. 



interest him — the unexpected appearance and immi- 
nent danger of his fellow-creatures at this desolated 
spot. He perceived that two of the men went to the 
hatches, and slid them over to leeward: they then 
descended, and, although the seas broke over the vessel, 
and a large quantity of water must have poured into 
her, the hatches were not put on again by those who 
remained on deck. But in a few minutes this mystery 
was solved; one after another at first, and then by 
dozens, poured forth, out of the hold, the kidnapped 
Africans who composed her cargo. In a short time 
the decks were covered with them : the poor creatures 
had been released by the humanity of two of the 
English sailors, that they might have the same chance 
with themselves of saving their lives. Still, no attempt 
was made to quit the vessel. Huddled together, like 
a flock of sheep, with the wild waves breaking over 
them, there they all remained, both European and 
African; and, as the heavy blows of the seas upon 
the sides of the vessel careened and shook her, they 
were seen to cling, in every direction, with no distinc- 
tion between the captured and their oppressors. 

But this scene was soon changed; the frame of the 
vessel could no longer withstand the violence of the 
waves ; and, as Francisco watched, of a sudden it 
was seen to divide a-midships, and each portion to 



THE ESCAPE. 133 



turn over. Then was the struggle for life ; hundreds 
were floating on the raging element, and wrestling 
for existence, and the white foam of the ocean was 
dotted by the black heads of the negroes who 
attempted to gain the bank. It was an awful, terrible 
scene, to witness so many at one moment tossed and 
dashed about by the waves — so many fellow-beings 
threatened with eternity. At one moment, they were 
close to the beach, forced on to it by some tremendous 
wave ; at the next, the receding water and the under- 
tow swept them all back ; and, of the many who 
had been swimming, one half had disappeared to rise 
no more. Francisco watched with agony as he per- 
ceived that the number decreased, and that none had 
yet gained the shore. At last he snatched up the 
haulyards of his boat's sail which were near him, and 
hastened down to the spot to afford such succour as 
might be possible; nor were his efforts in vain. As 
the seas washed the apparently inanimate bodies on 
shore, and would then have again swept them away 
to return them in mockery, he caught hold of them 
and dragged them safe on the bank, and thus did he 
continue his exertions until fifteen of the bodies of 
the negroes were spread upon the beach. Although 
exhausted and senseless, they were not dead, and 
long before he had dragged up the last of the number, 



134 THE ESCAPE. 



many of those previously saved had, without any other 
assistance than the heat of the sun, recovered from 
their insensibility. 

Francisco would have continued his task of huma- 
nity, but the parted vessel had now been riven into 
fragments by the force of the waves, and the whole 
beach was strewed with her timbers and her stores, 
which were dashed on shore by the waters, and then 
swept back again by the return. In a short time 
the severe blows he received from these fragments 
disabled him from further exertion, and he sank 
exhausted on the sand ; indeed, all further attempts 
were useless. All on board the vessel had been 
launched into the sea at the same moment, and those 
who were not now on shore were past all succour. 
Francisco walked up to those who had been saved: 
he found twelve of them were recovered and sitting 
on their hams; the rest were still in a state of insen- 
sibility. He then went up to the knoll, where his 
chest and provisions had been placed; and, throwing 
himself down by them, surveyed the scene. 

The wind had lulled, the sun shone brightly, and 
the sea was much less violent. The waves had sub- 
sided, and, no longer hurried on by the force of the 
hurricane, broke majestically and solemnly, but not 
with the wildness and force which, but a few hours 



THE ESCAPE. 135 



before, they had displayed. The whole of the beach 
was strewed with the fragments of the vessel, with 
spars and water-casks; and every moment was to be 
observed the corpse of a negro turning round and 
round in the froth of the wave, and then disappearing. 

For an hour did he watch and reflect, and then 
he walked again to where the men who had been 
rescued were sitting, not more than thirty yards from 
him; they were sickly emaciated forms, but belonging 
to a tribe who inhabited the coast, and who having 
been accustomed, from their infancy, to be all the 
day in the water, had supported themselves better 
than the other slaves, who had been procured from 
the interior, or the European crew of the vessel, all 
of whom had perished. 

The Africans appeared to recover fast by the heat 
of the sun, so oppressive to Francisco, and were now 
exchanging a few words with each other. The whole 
of them had revived, bat those who were most in 
need of aid were neglected by the others. Francisco 
made signs to them, but they understood him not. 
He returned to the knoll, and, pouring out water in 
a tin pan from the breaker, brought it down to them. 
He offered it to one who seized it eagerly; water 
was a luxury seldom obtained in the hold of a slave- 
vessel. The man drank deeply, and would have 



136 THE ESCAPE. 



drained the cup, but Francisco prevented him, and 
held it to the lips of another. He was obliged to 
refill it three times before they had all been supplied: 
he then brought them a handful of biscuit, and left 
them, for he reflected that, without some precautions, 
the whole sustenance would be seized by them and 
devoured. He buried half a foot deep, and covered 
over with sand, the breakers of water and the pro- 
visions, and, by the time he had finished this task, 
unperceived by the negroes, who still squatted together, 
the sun had again sunk below the horizon. Francisco 
had already matured his plans, which were, to form 
a raft out of the fragments of the vessel, and, with 
the assistance of the negroes, attempt to gain the main 
land. He lay down, for the second night, on this 
eventful spot of desolation, and, commending himself 
to the Almighty protection, was soon in a deep slumber. 
It was not until the powerful rays of the sun blazed 
on the eyes of the youth that he awoke, so tired had 
he been with the anxiety and fatigue of the preceding 
day, and the sleepless harrowing night which had 
introduced it ; he rose and seated himself upon his 
sea-chest : how different was the scene from that of 
yesterday ! Again the ocean slept, the sky was serene, 
and not a cloud to be distinguished throughout the 
whole firmament; the horizontal line was clear, even, 



THE ESCAPE. 137 



and well defined ; a soft breeze just rippled over the dark 
blue sea, which now had retired to its former boundary, 
and left the sand-bank as extended as when first Fran- 
cisco had been put on shore. But here the beauty of 
the landscape terminated: the foreground was horrible 
to look upon ; the whole of the beach was covered 
with the timbers of the wreck, with water-casks, and 
other articles, in some parts heaped and thrown up 
one upon another; and, among them, lay jammed 
and mangled the bodies of the many who had perished. 
In other parts there were corpses thrown up high and 
dry, or still rolling and turning to the ripling wave : 
it was a scene of desolation and of death. 

The negroes who had been saved were all huddled 
up together, apparently in deep sleep, and Francisco 
quitted his elevated position and walked down to the 
low beach, to survey the means which the disaster of 
others afforded him for his own escape. To his great 
joy he found not only plenty of casks, but many of 
them full of fresh water, provisions also in sufficiency, 
and, indeed, every thing that could be required to 
form a raft, as well as the means of support for a 
considerable time for himself and the negroes who had 
survived. He then walked up to them and called to 
them, but they answered not, nor even moved. He 
pushed them, but in vain ; and bis heart beat quick, 



138 THE ESCAPE. 



for he was fearful that they were dead from previous 
exhaustion. He applied his foot to one of them, and 
it was not until he had used force, which in any other 
case he would have dispensed with, that the negro 
awoke from his state of lethargy and looked vacantly 
about him. Francisco had some little knowledge of 
the language of the Kroumen, and he addressed the 
negro in that tongue. To his great joy, he was 
answered in a language which, if not the same, had 
so great an affinity to it, that communication became 
easy. With the assistance of the negro, who used 
still less ceremony with his comrades, the remainder 
of them were awakened, and a palaver ensued. 

Francisco soon made them understand that they were 
to make a raft and go back to their own country; 
explaining to them that if they remained there, the 
water and provisions would soon be exhausted, and 
they would all perish, The poor creatures hardly 
knew whether to consider him a supernatural being 
or not; they talked among themselves; they remarked 
at his having brought them fresh water the day 
before; they knew that he did not belong to the 
vessel in which they had been wrecked, and they 
were puzzled. 

Whatever might be their speculations, they had one 
good effect, which was, that they looked upon the 







* 



\ 



e 






THE ESCAPE. 139 



youth as a superior and a friend, and most willingly 
obeyed him. He led them up to the knoll, and, 
desiring them to scrape away the sand, supplied them 
again with fresh water and biscuit. Perhaps the very 
supply, and the way in which it was given to them, 
excited their astonishment as much as any thing. Fran- 
cisco ate with them, and selecting from his sea-chest 
the few tools in his possession, desired them to follow 
him. The casks were collected and rolled up ; the 
empty ones arranged for the raft; the spars were 
hauled up, cleared of the rigging, which was carefully 
separated for lashings ; the one or two sails which 
had been found rolled up on the spars were spread 
out to dry ; and the provisions and articles of clothing, 
which might be useful, laid together on one side. 
The negroes worked willingly, and shewed much 
intelligence : before the evening closed, every thing 
which might be available was secured, and the waves 
now only tossed about lifeless forms, and the small 
fragments of timber which could not be serviceable. 

It would occupy too much time were we to detail 
all the proceedings of Francisco and the negroes for 
the space of four days, during which they laboured 
hard. Necessity is truly the mother of invention, 
and many were the ingenious resources of the party 
before they could succeed in forming a raft large 



140 THE ESCAPE. 



enough to carry them and their provisions, with a 
mast and sail well secured. At length it was accom- 
plished; and, on the fifth day, Francisco and his men 
embarked, and having pushed clear of the bank with 
poles, they were at last able to hoist their sail to a 
fine breeze, and steer for the coast before the wind 
at the rate of about three miles an hour. But it was 
not until they had gained half a mile from the bank 
that they were no longer annoyed by the dreadful 
smell arising from the putrefaction of so many bodies^ 
for to bury them all would have been a work of too 
great time. The last two days of their remaining 
on the island, the effluvia had become so powerful 
as to be a source of the greatest horror and disgust 
even to the negroes. 

But before night, when the raft was about eight 
leagues from the sand-bank, it fell calm, and con- 
tinued so for the next day, when a breeze sprang up 
from the south-east, to which they trimmed their sail 
with their head to the northward. 

This wind, and the course steered, sent them off 
from the land, but there was no help for it ; and 
Francisco felt grateful that they had such an ample 
supply of provisions and water as to enable them to 
yield to a few days' contrary wind without danger 
of want. But the breeze continued steady and fresh, 



THE ESCAPE. 141 



and they were now crossing the Bight of Benin; the 
weather was fine and the sea smooth; the flying 
fish rose in shoals, and dropped down into the raft, 
which still forced its way through the water to the 
northward. 

Thus did Francisco and his negro crew remain for 
a fortnight floating on the wide ocean, without any 
object meeting their view. Day after day it was the 
same dreary "sky and water," and, by the reckoning 
of Francisco, they could not be far from the land, 
when, on the fifteenth day, they perceived two sail 
to the northward. 

Francisco's heart bounded with joy and gratitude 
to Heaven ; he had no telescope to examine them, 
but he steered directly for them, and, about dark, he 
made them out to be a ship and a schooner hove to. 

As Francisco scanned them, surmising what they 
might be, the sun set behind the two vessels, and, 
after it had sunk below the horizon their forms were, 
for a few minutes, delineated with remarkable precision 
and clearness. There could be no mistake. Francisco 
felt convinced that the schooner was the Avenger ! 
and his first impulse was to run to the sweep with 
which they were steered, and put the head of the 
raft again to the northward. A moment's reflection 
determined him to act otherwise ; he lowered down 



142 THE ESCAPE. 



his sail that he might escape observation, and watched 
the motions of the vessels during the few minutes 
of light which remained. That the ship had been 
captured, and that her capture had been attended 
with the usual scene of outrage and violence, he had 
no doubt. He was now about four miles from them, 
and just as they were vanishing from his straining 
eyes, he perceived that the schooner had made all 
sail to the westward. Francisco feeling that he was 
then secure from being picked up by her, again hoisted 
his sail with the hope of reaching the ship, which, if 
not scuttled, he intended to remove on board of, and 
then make sail for the first port on the coast. But 
hardly had the raft regained her way when the horizon 
was lighted up, and he perceived that the pirates had 
set fire to the vessel. Then it was useless to proceed 
towards her ; and Francisco again thought of putting 
the head of the raft to the northward, when the idea 
struck him, knowing the character and cruelty of the 
pirates, that there might be some unfortunate people 
left on board to perish in the flames. He therefore 
continued his course, watching the burning vessel ; 
the flames increased in violence, mounting up to the 
masts and catching the sails one after the other. The 
wind blew fresh, and the vessel was kept before 
the wind — a circumstance that assured Francisco that 



THE ESCAPE. 143 



there were people on board. At first she appeared 
to leave the raft, but, as her sails, one after another, 
were consumed by the element, so did she decrease 
her speed, and Francisco, in about an hour, was 
close to her and under her counter. 

The ship was now one mass of fire from her bows 
to her mainmast; a volume of flame poured from her 
main hold, rising higher than her lower masts, and 
ending in a huge mass of smoke carried by the wind 
a-head of her; the quarter-deck was still free from 
fire, but the heat on it was so intense, that those on 
board were all collected at the taffrail; and there 
they remained, some violent, others in mute despair: 
for the Avenger's people, in their barbarity, had cut 
away and destroyed all the boats, to prevent their 
escape. From the light thrown round the vessel, those 
on board had perceived the approach of Francisco to 
their rescue, and immediately that it was under the 
counter, and the sail lowered, almost all of them had 
descended by ropes, or the stern ladder, and gained 
a place in her. In a few minutes, without scarcely 
an exchange of a word, they were all out of the brig, 
and Francisco pushed off just as the flames burst from 
the cabin-windows, darting out in a horizontal line 
like the tongues of fiery serpents. The raft, now en- 
cumbered with twelve more persons, was then steered 



144 THE ESCAPE. 



to the northward ; and as soon as those who had been 
saved had been supplied with some water which they 
so much needed, Francisco obtained the intelligence 
which he desired. The ship was from Carthagena, 
South America; had sailed from thence to Lisbon 
with a Don Cumanos, who had large property up 
the Magdalen river. He had wished to visit a part 
of his family at Lisbon, and from thence had sailed 
to the Canary isles, where he also had property, in 
their way from Lisbon to South America. They had 
been beaten by stress of weather to the southward, 
and afterwards had been chased by the Avenger ; 
being a very fast sailer she had run down several 
degrees before she had been captured. When the 
pirate took possession, and found that she had little 
or no cargo of value to them, for her hold was chiefly 
filled with furniture and other articles for the use of 
Don Cumanos, angry at their disappointment, they 
had first destroyed all their boats and then set fire 
to the vessel, taking care not to leave her until all 
chance of the fire being put out was hopeless. And 
thus had these miscreants left innocent and unfortunate 
people to perish. 

Francisco heard the narrative of Don Cumanos, 
and then informed him in what manner he had left 
the schooner and his subsequent adventures. Francisco 



THE ESCAPE. 145 



was now very anxious to make the land, or obtain 
succour from some vessel. The many who were now 
on board, and the time that he had already been at 
sea, obliged him to reduce the allowance of water. 
Fortune favoured him after all his trials ; on the 
third day a vessel hove in sight, and they were seen 
by her. She made sail for them, and took them 
all on board. It was a schooner trafficking on the 
coast for gold-dust and ivory; but the magnificent 
offers of Don Cumanos induced them to give up 
their voyage and run across the Atlantic to Car- 
thagena. To Francisco it was of little moment where 
he went, and in Don Cumanos he had found a 
sincere friend. 

" You have been my preserver," said the Spaniard ; 
" allow me to return the obligation — come and live 
with me." 

As Francisco was equally pleased with Don Cu- 
manos, he accepted the offer : they all arrived safely 
at Carthagena, and from thence proceeded to his 
estate on the Magdalen river. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE LIEUTENANT. 

When we last mentioned Edward Templemore, 
we stated that he was a lieutenant of the admiral's 
ship on the West India station, commanding the 
tender. Now the name of the tender was the Enter- 
prise : and it was singular that she was one of two 
schooners built at Baltimore, remarkable for their 
beauty and good qualities : yet how different were 
their employments ! Both had originally been built 
for the slave-trade : now one hoisted the English 
pennant, and cruised as the Enterprise ; the other 
threw out the black flag, and scoured the seas as 
the Avenger. 

The Enterprise was fitted much in the same way as 
we have already described her sister vessel, — that is, 
with one long brass gun a-midships, and smaller ones 
for her broadside. But in the numbers of their crew 
there was a great disparity ; the Enterprise not being 
manned with more than sixty-five English sailors, 
belonging to the admiral's ship. She was employed, as 



THE LIEUTENANT. 147 

most admirals' tenders usually ivere, sometimes carry- 
ing a tender made for a supply of provisions, or a 
tender of services, if required, from the admiral ; or, if 
not particularly wanted, with the important charge of 
a tender billet-doux to some fair friend. But this is a 
tender subject to touch upon. In the mean time, it 
must be understood that she had the same commission 
to sink, burn, and destroy, as all other of his Majesty's 
vessels, if any thing came in her way ; but, as she 
usually carried despatches, the real importance of 
which were, of course, unknown, she was not to go 
out of her way upon such service. 

Edward Templemore did, however, occasionally go 
a little out of his way, and had lately captured a very 
fine privateer, after a smart action, for which he 
anticipated his promotion ; but the admiral thought 
him too young, and therefore gave the next vacancy 
to his own nephew, who, the admiral quite forgot, 
was much younger. 

Edward laughed when he heard of it, upon his 
arrival at Port Royal; and the admiral, who expected 
that he would make his appearance pouting with 
disappointment, when he came up to the Penn to 
report himself, was so pleased with his good-humour 
that he made a vow that Templemore should have the 
next vacancy ; but this he also quite forgot, because 



148 THE LIEUTENANT. 

Edward happened to be, at the time it occurred, on 
a long cruise, — and " out of sight out of mind " is 
a proverb so well established, that it may be urged 
as an excuse for a person who had so many other 
things to think of as the admiral intrusted with the 
command of the West India station. 

Lieutenant Templemore had, in consequence, com- 
manded the Enterprise for nearly two years, and 
without grumbling ; for he was of a happy disposition, 
and passed a very happy sort of life. Mr. Withering- 
ton was very indulgent to him, and allowed him to 
draw liberally ; he had plenty of money for himself 
or for a friend who required it, and he had plenty of 
amusement. Amongst other diversions, he had fallen 
most desperately in love : for, in one of his trips to 
the Leeward Isles (so called from their being to wind- 
ward) he had succoured a Spanish vessel, which had on 
board the new governor of Porto Rico, with his family, 
and had taken upon himself to land them on that 
island in safety; for which service the English admiral 
received a handsome letter, concluding with the mo- 
derate wish that his excellency might live a thousand 
years, and Edward Templemore an invitation to go 
and see them whenever he might pass that way; 
which, like most general invitations, was as much a 
compliment as the wish which wound up the letter 



THE LIEUTENANT. 149 

to the admiral. It did, however, so happen that the 
Spanish governor had a very beautiful and only 
daughter, carefully guarded by a duenna, and a monk 
who was the depository of all the sins of the governor's 
establishment ; and it was with this daughter that 
Edward Templemore fell into the heresy of love. 

She was, indeed, very beautiful ; and, like all her 
countrywomen, was ardent in her affections. The 
few days that she was on board the schooner with her 
father, during the time that the Enterprise convoyed 
the Spanish vessel into port, were quite sufficient to 
ignite two such inflammable beings as Clara d'Alfarez 
and Edward Templemore. The monk had been left 
on board of the leaky vessel ; there was no accommoda- 
tion in the schooner for either him or the duenna, and 
Don Felix de Maxos de Cobas de Manilla d'Alfarez was 
too busy with his cigar to pay attention to his daughter. 

When they were landed, Edward Templemore was 
asked to their residence, which was not in the town, 
but at a lovely bay on the south side of the island. 
The town mansion was appropriated to business and 
the ceremony of the court : it was too hot for a per- 
manent abode, and the governor only went there for 
a few hours each day. 

Edward Templemore remained a short time at the 
island, and, at his departure, received the aforemen- 



150 THE LIEUTENANT. 



tioned letter from the father to the English admiral, 
and an assurance of unalterable fidelity from the 
daughter to the English lieutenant. On his return, 
he presented the letter, and the admiral was satisfied 
with his conduct. 

When ordered out to cruise, which he always was 
when there was nothing else to do, he submitted to the 
admiral whether, if he should happen to near Porto 
Rico, he could not leave an answer to the Spanish 
governor's letter; and the admiral, who knew the 
value of keeping up a good understanding with foreign 
relations, took the hint, and gave him one to deliver, 
if convenient. The second meeting was, as may be 
supposed, more cordial than the first on the part of 
the young lady ; not so, however, on the part of the 
duenna and holy friar, who soon found out that their 
charge was in danger from heretical opinions. 

Caution became necessary; and, as secresy adds a 
charm to an amour, Clara received a long letter and 
a telescope from Edward. The letter informed her 
that, whenever he could, he would make his appear- 
ance in his schooner off the south of the island, and 
await a signal made by her at a certain window, 
acknowledging her recognition of his vessel. On the 
night of that signal, he would land in his boat and 
meet her at an appointed spot. This was all very 



THE LIEUTENANT. 151 

delightful ; and it so happened that Edward had four 
or five times contrived, during the last year, to meet 
Clara without discovery, and again and again to 
exchange his vows. It was agreed between them 
that when he quitted the station, she would quit her 
father and her home, and trust her future happiness 
to an Englishman and a heretic. 

It may be a matter of surprise to some of our 
readers that the admiral should not have discovered 
the frequent visits of the Enterprise to Porto Rico, as 
Edward was obliged to bring his log for examination 
every time that he returned ; but the admiral was 
satisfied with Edward's conduct, and his anxiety to 
cruise, when there was nothing else for him to do. 
His logs were brought on shore to the admiral's secre- 
tary, carefully rolled and sealed up. The admiral's 
secretary threw the packages on one side, and thought 
no more of the matter, and Edward had always a 
ready story to tell when he took his seat at the 
admiral's dinner-table ; besides, he is a very unfit 
person to command a vessel who does not know how 
to write a loo; that will bear an investigation. A 
certain latitude is always allowed in every degree of 
latitude as well as longitude. 

The Enterprise had been dispatched to Antigua, 
and Edward thought this an excellent opportunity to 



152 THE LIEUTENANT. 

pay a visit to Clara d'Alfarez ; he therefore, upon his 
return, hove to off the usual headland, and soon per- 
ceived the white curtain thrown out of the window. 

" There it is, sir," said one of the midshipmen, who 
was near him — for he had been there so often that 
the whole crew of the Enterprise were aware of his 
attachment — "she has shewn her flag of truce." 

" A truce to your nonsense, Mr. Warren," replied 
Edward, laughing; "how came you to know any 
thing about it?" 

"I only judge by cause and effect, sir; and I 
know that I shall have to go on shore and wait for 
you to-night." 

" That 's not unlikely ; but let draw the fore-sheet ; 
we must now get behind the headland." 

The youngster was right: that evening, a little 
before dark, he attended his commander on shore, 
the Enterprise lying to with a lantern at her peak. 

" Once more, dearest Clara ! " said Edward, as he 
threw off her long veil and pressed her in his arms. 

" Yes, Edward, once more — but I am afraid only 
once more ; for my maid, Inez, has been dangerously 
ill, and has confessed to Friar Ricardo. I fear much 
that, in her fright (for she thought that she was dying), 
she has told all. She is better now," 

"Why should you imagine so, Clara?" 



THE LIEUTENANT. 153 



" Oh, you know not what a frightened fool that Inez 
is when she is ill. Our religion is not like yours." 

" No, dear, it is not ; but I will teach you a better." 

" Hush, Edward, you must not say that. Holy 
Virgin ! if Friar Ricardo should hear you ! I think 
that Inez must have told him, for he fixes his dark 
eyes upon me so earnestly. Yesterday he observed 
to me that I had not confessed." 

" Tell him to mind his own business." 

" That is his business, and I was obliged to confess 
to him last night. I told him a great many things, 
and then he asked me if that was all. His eyes went 
through me. I trembled as I uttered an untruth— 
for I said it was." 

" I confess my sins but to my Maker, Clara ; and I 
confess my love but to you. Follow my plan, dearest ! " 

" I will half obey you, Edward. I will not tell my 
love." 

" And sins you have none, Clara ; so you will obey 
me in all." 

" Hush, Edward, you must not say that. We all 
have sins ; and, oh ! what a grievous sin they say it 
is to love you, who are a heretic ! Holy Virgin, 
pardon me ! but I could not help it." 

" If that is your only sin, dearest, I can safely give 
you absolution." 



154 THE LIEUTENANT. 

" Nay, Edward, don't joke, but hear me. If Inez 
has confessed, they will look for me here ; and we 
must not meet again — at least not in this place. You 
know the little bay behind the rock — it is not much 
farther off, and there is a cave where I can wait : 
another time it must be there." 

"'It shall be there, dearest; but is it not too near 
the beach ? will you not be afraid of the men in the 
boat, who must see you ? " 

" But we can leave the beach. It is Ricardo, 
alone, that I am in dread of — and the Donna Maria. 
Merciful heaven ! should my father know it all, we 
should be lost ! be separated for ever !" and Clara 
laid her forehead on Edward's shoulder, as her tears 
fell fast. 

" There is nought to fear, Clara. Hush ! I heard 
a rustling in those orange-trees. Listen ! " 

" Yes ! yes ! " whispered Clara, hastily ; " there is 
some one ! Away ! dear Edward, away ! " 

Clara sprang from his side, and hastened up the 
grove. Edward made his retreat; and, flying down 
the rocky and narrow path through the underwood, 
was soon on the beach and into his boat. The 
Enterprise arrived at head-quarters, and Edward 
reported himself to the admiral. 

" I have work for you, Mr. Templemore," said the 



THE LIEUTENANT. 155 

admiral ; " you must be ready to proceed on service 
immediately. We've found your match." 

" I hope I may find her, sir," replied the lieutenant. 

" I hope so, too ; for, if you give a good account of 
her, it will put another swab on your shoulder. The 
pirate schooner which has so long infested the Atlantic 
has been seen and chased, off Barbadoes, by the 
Amelia ; but it appears that there is not a vessel in 
the squadron which can come near her unless it be 
the Enterprise. She has since captured two West 
Indiamen, and was seen steering with them towards 
the coast of Guiana, Now, I am going to give you 
thirty additional hands, and send you after her." 

" Thank you, sir," replied Edward, his countenance 
beaming with delight. 

" How soon will you be ready ?" inquired the admiral. 

"To-morrow morning, sir." 

"Very good. Tell Mr. Hadley to bring me the 
order for the men, and your sailing-orders, and I 
will sign them; but recollect, Mr. Templemore, you 
will have an awkward customer. Be prudent — brave 
I know you to be." 

Edward Templemore promised every thing, as most 
people do in such cases ; and, before the next evening, 
the Enterprise was well in the offing, under a heavy 
press of sail. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE LANDING. 

The property of Don Cumanos, to which he had 
retired with his family, accompanied by Francisco, 
extended from the mouth of, to many miles up, the 
Magdalen river. It was a fine alluvial soil, forming 
one vast strip of rich meadow, covered with numerous 
herds of cattle. The house was not a hundred yards 
from the banks of this magnificent stream, and a small 
but deep creek ran up to the adjacent buildings, — for 
Don Cumanos had property even more valuable, being 
proprietor of a gold-mine near the town of Jambrano, 
about eighty miles farther up, and which mine had 
latterly become exceedingly productive. The ore 
was brought down the river in boats, and smelted 
in the out-houses near the creek to which we have 
just referred. 

It will be necessary to observe that the establish- 
ment of the noble Spaniard was numerous, consisting 
of nearly one hundred persons, employed in the 
smelting-houses, or attached to the household. 



THE LANDING. 157 



For some time Francisco remained here happy and 
contented ; he had become the confidential supervisor 
of Don Cumanos' household, proved himself worthy 
of a trust so important, and was considered as one of 
the family. 

One morning, as Francisco was proceeding down 
to the smel ting-house to open the hatches of the small 
decked boats which had arrived from Jambrano with 
ore, and which were invariably secured with a padlock 
by the superintendent above, to which Don Cumanos 
had a corresponding key, one of the chief men informed 
him that a vessel had anchored off the mouth of 
the river the day before, and weighed again early 
that morning, and that she was now standing off 
and on. 

" From Carthagena, probably, beating up," replied 
Francisco. 

"Valga me dios, if I know that, sir," said Diego. 
" I should have thought nothing about it; but Giacomo 
and Pedro, who went out to fish last night, as usual, 
instead of coming back before midnight, have not 
been heard of since." 

"Indeed! that is strange. Did they ever stay so 
long before?" 

" Never, sir ; and they have fished together now 
for seven years." 



158 THE LANDING. 



Francisco gave the key to the man, who opened 
the locks of the hatches, and returned it. 

" There she is ! " cried the man ; the head-sails 
making their appearance as the vessel opened to their 
view from the projecting point, — distant about four 
miles. Francisco directed his eye towards her, and, 
without further remark, hastened to the house. 

"Well, Francisco!" said Don Cumanos, who was 
stirring a small cup of chocolate, "what's the news 
this morning ? " 

" The Nostra Senora del Carmen and the Aguilla 
have arrived, and I have just unlocked the hatches. 
There is a vessel off the point which requires examina- 
tion, and I have come for the telescope." 

" Requires examination ! Why, Francisco ? " 

" Because Giacomo and Pedro, who went fishing 
last night, have not returned; and there are no tidings 
of them." 

" That is strange ! But how is this connected with 
the vessel?" 

" That I will explain as soon as I have had an 
examination of her," replied Francisco, who had taken 
up the telescope, and was drawing out the tube. 
Francisco fixed the glass against the sill of the window, 
and examined the vessel some time in silence. 

" Yes ! by the living God ! it is the Avenger, and 



THE LANDING. 159 



no other/' exclaimed he, as he removed the telescope 
from his eye. 

" Eh ? " cried Don Cumanos. 

" It is the pirate-vessel ! — the Avenger ! — I '11 forfeit 
my life upon it ! Don Cumanos, you must be pre- 
pared. I know that they have long talked of a visit 
to this quarter, and anticipate great booty; and they 
have those on board who know the coast well. The 
disappearance of your two men convinces me that 
they sent up their boats last night to reconnoitre, and 
have captured them. Torture will extract the infor- 
mation which the pirates require ; and I have little 
doubt but that an attack will be made, when they 
learn how much bullion there is, at present, on your 
premises." 

" You may be right," replied Don Cumanos, 
thoughtfully ; " that is, provided you are sure that 
it is the pirate-vessel." 

" Sure, Don Cumanos ! I know every timber and 
plank in her ; there is not a rope or a block but I can 
recognise. At the distance of four miles, with such 
a glass as this, I can discover every little variety in her 
rigging from other craft. I will swear to her," repeated 
Francisco, once more looking through the telescope. 

" And if they attack, Francisco ? " 

" We must defend ourselves ; and, I trust, beat 



160 THE LANDING. 



them off. They will come in their boats, and at night. 
If they were to run in the schooner by daylight, and 
anchor abreast of us, we should have but a poor chance. 
But they little think that I am here, and that they are 
recognised. They will attack this night, I rather think." 

" And what do you then propose, Francisco ?" 

" That we should send all the females away to 
Don Teodoro's — it is but five miles — and call the men 
together, as soon as possible. We are strong enough 
to beat them off, if we barricade the house. They 
cannot land more than from ninety to one hundred 
men, as some must remain in charge of the schooner; 
and we can muster quite as many. It may be as 
well to promise our men a reward, if they do their 
duty." 

" That is all right enough ; and the bullion we have 
here " 

" Here we had better let it remain ; it will take too 
much time to remove it, and, besides, will weaken our 
force by the men who must be in charge of it. The 
out-houses must be abandoned, and every thing which 
is of consequence taken from them. Fire them they 
will, in all probability. At all events we have plenty 
of time before us, if we begin at once." 
• " Well, Francisco, I shall make you commandant, 
and leave the arrangements to you, while I go and 



THE LANDING. 161 



speak to Donna Isidora. Send for the men and speak 
to them ; promise them rewards ; and act as if you 
were ordering upon your own responsibility." 

" I trust I shall prove myself worthy of your con- 
fidence, sir," replied Francisco. 

" Carambo ! " exclaimed the old don, as he left the 
room, "but it is fortunate you are here. We might 
all have been murdered in our beds." 

Francisco sent for the head men of the establish- 
ment, and told them what he was convinced they 
would have to expect ; and he then explained to 
them his views. The rest were all summoned; and 
Francisco pointed out to them the little mercy they 
would receive if the pirates were not repulsed, and 
the rewards which were promised by Don Cumanos 
if they did their duty. 

Spaniards are individually brave, and, encouraged 
by Francisco, they agreed that they would defend 
the property to the last. 

The house of Don Cumanos was well suited to 
resist an attack of this description, in which musketry 
only was expected to be employed. It was a long 
parrallelogram of stone walls, with a wooden veranda 
on the first floor, — for it was only one story high. 
The windows on the first story were more numerous, 
but at the basement there were but two, and no other 



162 THE LANDING. 



opening but the door in the whole line of building. 
It was of a composite architecture, between the Morisco 
and the Spanish. If the lower part of the house, 
which was of stone, could be secured from entrance, 
the assailants would, of course, fight under a great 
disadvantage. The windows below were the first 
secured by piling a heavy mass of stones in the interior 
of the rooms against them, rising to the ceiling from 
a base like the segment of a pyramid extending to 
the opposite side of the chamber; and every prepa- 
ration was made for effectually barricading the door 
before night. Ladders were then fixed to ascend to 
the veranda, which was rendered musket-proof nearly 
as high as its railings, to protect the men. The Donna 
Isidora, and the women of the establishment, were, 
in the afternoon, despatched to Don Teodoro's ; and, 
at the request of Francisco, joined to the entreaties 
of Donna Isidora, Don Cumanos was persuaded to 
accompany them. The don called his men, and tell- 
ing them that he left Francisco in command, expected 
them to do their duty ; and then shaking hands with 
him, the cavalcade was soon lost in the woods behind 
the narrow meadows which skirted the river. 

There was no want of muskets and ammunition. 
Some were employed casting bullets, and others in 
examining the arms which had long been laid by. 



THE LANDING. 163 



Before evening, all was ready ; every man had received 
his arms and ammunition ; the flints had been inspected : 
and Francisco had time to pay more attention to the 
schooner, which had, during the day, increased her 
distance from the land, but was now again standing 
in for the shore. Half-an-hour before dusk, when 
within three miles, she wore round, and put her head 
to the offing. 

" They '11 attack this night," said Francisco ; " I 
feel almost positive : their yards and stay-tackles are 
up ; all ready for hoisting out the long-boat." 

" Let them come, senor ; we will give them a warm 
reception," replied Diego, the second in authority. 

It was soon too dark to perceive the vessel. Fran- 
cisco and Diego ordered every man, but five, into the 
house; the door was firmly barricaded, and some 
large pieces of rock, which had been rolled into the 
passage, piled against it. Francisco then posted the 
five men down the banks of the river, at a hundred 
yards distant from each other, to give notice of the 
approach of the boats. It was about ten o'clock at 
night when Francisco and Diego descended the ladder, 
and went to examine their outposts. 

"Senor," said Diego, as he and Francisco stood on 
the bank of the river, " at what hour is it your idea 
that these villains will make their attempt?" 



164 THE LANDING. 



" That is difficult to say. If the same captain 
commands them who did when I was on board of 
her, it will not be until after the moon is down, 
which will not be 'till midnight ; but should it be 
any other who is in authority, they may not be so 
prudent." 

" Holy Virgin ! sefior, were you ever on board of 
that vessel?" 

" Yes, Diego, I was, and for a long while too ; 
but not with my own good will. Had I not been 
on board, I never should have recognised her." 

« Very true, sefior ; then we may thank the saints 
that you have once been a pirate." 

"I hope that I never was that, Diego," replied 
Francisco, smiling ; " but I have been a witness to 
dreadful proceedings on board of that vessel, at the 
remembrance of which, even now, my blood curdles." 

To pass away the time, Francisco then detailed 
many scenes of horror to Diego which he had witnessed 
when on board of the Avenger ; and he was still in the 
middle of a narrative when a musket was discharged 
by the farthermost sentinel. 

" Hark, Diego !" 

Another, and another, nearer and nearer to them, 
gave the signal that the boats were close at hand. In 
a few minutes the men all came in, announcing that 



THE LANDING. 165 



the pirates were pulling up the stream in three boats, 
and were less than a quarter of a mile from the 
landing-place. 

"Diego, go to the house with these men, and see 
that all is ready," said Francisco ; ee I will wait here 
a little longer : but do not fire till I come to you." 

Diego and the men departed, and Francisco was 
left on the beach alone. 

In another minute, the sound of the oars was plainly 
distinguishable, and Francisco's ears were directed to 
catch, if possible, the voices. " Yes," thought he, 
" you come with the intentions of murder and robbery ; 
but you will, through me, be disappointed," As the 
boats approached, he heard the voice of Hawkhurst. 
The signal muskets fired, had told the pirates that 
they were discovered, and that, in all probability, they 
would meet with resistance ; silence was, therefore, 
no longer of any advantage. 

" Oars ! my lads ! — oars ! " cried Hawkhurst. 

One boat ceased rowing, and soon afterwards the 
two others. The whole of them were now plainly 
seen by Francisco, at the distance of about one cable's 
length from where he stood ; and the clear still night 
carried the sound of their voices along the water. 

" Here is a creek, sir," said Hawkhurst, " leading 
up to those buildings. Would it not be better to 



166 THE LANDING. 



land there, as, if they are not occupied, they will prove 
a protection to us if we have a hard fight for it ?" 

"Very true, Hawkhurst," replied a voice, which 
Francisco immediately recognised to be that of Cain. 

" He is alive, then," thought Francisco, " and his 
blood is not yet upon my hands." 

" Give way, my lads ! " cried Hawkhurst. 

The boats dashed up the creek, and Francisco 
hastened back to the house. 

" Now, my lads," said he, as he sprang up the 
ladder, " you must be resolute ; we have to deal with 
desperate men, I have heard the voices of the captain 
and chief mate; so there is no doubt as to its being 
the pirate. The boats are up the creek, and will land 
behind the out-buildings. Haul up these ladders, 
and lay them fore and aft on the veranda; and do 
not fire without taking a good aim. Silence ! my 
men — silence ! Here they come." 

The pirates were now seen advancing from the out- 
buildings in strong force. In the direction in which 
they came, it was only from the side of the veranda, 
at which not more than eight or ten men could be 
placed, that the enemy could be repulsed. Francisco, 
therefore, gave orders that as soon as some of the 
men had fired they should retreat and load their 
muskets, to make room for others. 



THE LANDING. 167 



When the pirates had advanced half way to the 
house, on the clear space between it and the out- 
buildings, Francisco gave the word to fire. The 
volley was answered by another, and a shout from the 
pirates, who, with Hawkhurst and Cain at their head, 
now pressed on, but not until they had received a 
second discharge from the Spaniards, and the pirates 
had fired in return. As the Spaniards could not at 
first fire a volley of more than a dozen muskets at a 
time, their opponents imagined their force to be much 
less than it really was. They now made other arrange- 
ments. They spread themselves in a semicircle in 
front of the veranda, and kept up a continued galling 
fire. This was returned by the party under Francisco 
for nearly a quarter of an hour ; and, as all the 
muskets were now called into action, the pirates found 
out that they had a more formidable enemy to cope 
with than they had anticipated. 

It was now quite dark, and not a figure was to be 
distinguished, except by the momentary flashing of 
the fire-arms. Cain and Hawkhurst, leaving their 
men to continue the attack, had gained the house, 
and a position under the veranda. Examining the' 
windows and door, there appeared but little chance 
of forcing an entrance ; but it immediately occurred 
to them, that under the veranda their men would not 



168 THE LANDING. 



be exposed, and that they might fire through the 
wooden floor of it upon those above. Hawkhurst 
hastened away, and returned with about half the men, 
leaving the others to continue their attack as before. 
The advantage of this manoeuvre was soon evident. 
The musket-balls of the pirates pierced the planks, 
and wounded many of the Spaniards severely ; and 
Francisco was at last obliged to order his men to 
retreat into the house, and fire out of the windows. 

But even this warfare did not continue ; for the 
supporting-pillars of the veranda being of wood and 
very dry, they were set fire to by the pirates. Gradually 
the flames wound round them, and their forked tongues 
licked the balustrade. At last, the whole of the veranda 
was in flames. This was a great advantage to the attack- 
ing party, who could now distinguish the Spaniards 
without their being so clearly seen themselves. Many 
were killed and wounded. The smoke and heat became 
so intense in the upper story, that the men could no 
longer remain there ; and, by the advice of Francisco, 
they retreated to the basement of the house. 

66 What shall we do now, senor ? " said Diego, with 
a grave face. 

"Do?" replied Francisco; "they have burnt the 
veranda, that is all. The house will not take fire; it 
is of solid stone ; the roof indeed may ; but still here 



THE LANDING. 169 



we are. I do not see that they are more advanced 
than they were before. As soon as the veranda has 
burnt down, we must return above, and commence 
firing again from the windows." 

" Hark, sir ! they are trying the door." 

" They may try a long while ; they should have 
tried the door while the veranda protected them from 
our sight. As soon as it is burnt we shall be able to 
drive them away from it I will go up again and see 
how things are." 

" No, senor ; it is of no use. Why expose yourself 
now that the flames are so bright?" 

" I must go and see if that is the case, Diego. 
Pat all the wounded men in the north chamber ; it 
will be the safest, and more out of the way." 

Francisco ascended the stone staircase, and gained 
the upper story. The rooms were filled with smoke, 
and he could distinguish nothing. An occasional bullet 
whistled past him. He walked towards the windows, 
and sheltered himself behind the wall between them. 

The flames were not so violent, and the heat more 
bearable. In a short time, a crash, and then another, 
told him that the veranda had fallen in. He looked 
through the window. The mass of lighted embers 
had fallen down in front of the house, and had, for 
a time, driven away the assailants. Nothing was left 



170 THE LANDING. 



of the veranda but the burning ends of the joists 
fixed in the wall above the windows, and the still 
glowing remains of the posts which once supported it. 

But the smoke from below now cleared away, and 
the discharge of one or two muskets told Francisco 
that he was perceived by the enemy. 

" The roof is safe," thought he, as he withdrew 
from the window ; " and now I do not know whether 
the loss of the veranda may not prove a gain to us." 

What were the intentions of the pirates it was 
difficult to ascertain. For a time they had left off 
firing, and Francisco returned to his comrades. The 
smoke had gradually cleared away, and they were 
able to resume their position above ; but, as the pirates 
did not fire, they, of course, could do nothing, as it 
was only by the flashing of the muskets that the 
enemy was to be distinguished. No further attempts 
were made at the door or windows below; and Fran- 
cisco in vain puzzled himself as to the intended plans 
of the assailants. 

Nearly half an hour of suspense passed away. 
Some of the Spaniards were of opinion that they had 
retreated to their boats and gone away, but Francisco 
knew them better. All he could do was to remain 
above s and occasionally look out to discover their 
motions. Diego, and one or two more, remained with 



THE LANDING. 171 



him; the other men were kept below that they might 
be out of danger. 

" Holy Francis ! but this has been a dreadful night, 
senor ; how many hours until daylight ?" said Diego. 

" Two hours at least, I should think," replied 
Francisco ; " but the affair will be decided before that." 

" The saints protect us ! See, senor, are they not 
coming?" 

Francisco looked through the gloom, in the direction 
of the out-buildings, and perceived a group of men 
advancing. A few moments and he could clearly 
make them out. 

" Yes, truly, Diego ; and they have made ladders, 
which they are carrying, They intend to storm the 
windows. Call them all up ; and now we must fight 
hard indeed." 

The Spaniards hastened up and filled the room 
above, which had three windows in the front, looking 
towards the river, and which had been sheltered by 
the veranda. 

" Shall we fire now, senor ? " 

" No — no ; do not fire till your muzzles are at their 
hearts. They cannot mount more than two at a time 
at each window. Recollect, my lads, that you must 
now fight hard, for your lives will not be spared ; 
they will shew no quarter and no mercy." 



172 THE LANDING. 



The ends of the rude ladders now made their appear- 
ance above the sill of each window. They had been 
hastily, yet firmly, constructed; and where nearly 
as wide as the windows. A loud cheer was followed 
by a simultaneous mounting of the ladders. 

Francisco was at the centre window, when Hawk- 
hurst made his appearance, sabre in hand. He struck 
aside a musket aimed at him, and the ball whizzed 
harmless over the broad water of the river. Another 
step, and he would have been in, when Francisco 
fired his pistol : the ball entered the left shoulder of 
Hawkhurst, and he dropped his hold. Before he 
could regain it, a Spaniard charged at him with his 
musket, and threw him back. He fell, bearing down 
with him one or two of his comrades, who had been 
following him up the ladder. 

Francisco felt as if the attack at that window was 
of little consequence after the fall of Hawkhurst, whose 
voice he had recognised ; and he hastened to the one 
on the left, as he had heard Cain encouraging his 
men in that direction. He was not wrong in his con- 
jecture ; Cain was at the window, attempting to force 
an entrance, but was opposed by Diego and other 
resolute men. But the belt of the pirate captain was 
full of pistols, and he had already fired three with 
effect. Diego and the two best men were wounded, 



THE LANDING. 173 



and the others who opposed him were alarmed at his 
giant proportions. Francisco rushed to attack him ; 
but what was the force of so young a man against the 
Herculean power of Cain? Still Francisco's left hand 
was at the throat of the pirate, and the pistol was 
pointed in his right, when the flash of another pistol, 
fired by one who followed Cain, threw its momentary 
vivid light upon the features of Francisco, as he cried 
out " Blood for blood ! " It was enough : the pirate 
captain uttered a yell of terror at the supposed super- 
natural appearance ; and he fell from the ladder in 
a fit amongst the still burning embers of the veranda. 

The fall of their two chiefs, and the determined 
resistance of the Spaniards, checked the impetuosity 
of the assailants. They hesitated ; and they at last 
retreated, bearing away with them their wounded. The 
Spaniards cheered, and, led by Francisco, followed 
them down the ladders, and, in their turn, became 
the assailants. Still the pirates' retreat was orderly: 
they fired, and retired rank behind rank successively. 
They kept the Spaniards at bay, until they had arrived 
at the boats ; when a charge was made, and a severe 
conflict ensued. But the pirates had lost too many 
men, and, without their commander, felt dispirited. 
Hawkhurst was still on his legs and giving orders as 
coolly as ever. He espied Francisco, and rushing at 



174 THE LANDING. 



him, while the two parties were opposed muzzle to 
muzzle, seized him by his collar and dragged him in 
amongst the pirates. " Secure him, at all events," 
cried Hawkhurst, as they slowly retreated and gained 
the out-houses. Francisco was overpowered and hauled 
into one of the boats, all of which in a few minutes 
afterwards were pulling with all their might to escape 
from the muskets of the Spaniards, who followed the 
pirates by the banks of the river, annoying them in 
their retreat. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE MEETING. 

The pirates returned to their vessel discomfited. 
Those on board, who were prepared to hoist in ingots 
of precious metal, had to receive naught but wounded 
men, and many of their comrades had remained dead 
on the shore. Their captain was melancholy and 
downcast. Hawkhurst was badly wounded, and obliged 
to be carried below as soon as he came on board. The 
only capture which they had made was their former 
associate Francisco, who, by the last words spoken 
by Hawkhurst as he was supported to his cabin, was 
ordered to be put into irons. The boats were hoisted 
in without noise, and a general gloom prevailed. All 
sail was then made upon the schooner, and, when 
the day dawned, she was seen by the Spaniards far 
away to the northward. 

The report was soon spread through the schooner 
that Francisco had been the cause of their defeat ; 
and, although this was only a surmise, still, as they 
considered that, had he not recognised the vessel, the 



176 THE MEETING. 



Spaniards would not have been prepared, they had 
good grounds for what had swelled into an assertion. 
He became, therefore, to many of them an object of 
bitter enmity, and they looked forward with pleasure 
to his destruction, which his present confinement they 
considered but the precursor of. 

" Hist ! Massa Francisco ! " said a low voice near to 
where Francisco sat on the chest. Francisco turned 
round and beheld the Krouman, his old friend. 

" Ah ! Pompey, are you all still on board ? " said 
Francisco. 

" All ! no," replied the man, shaking his head ; 
" some die — some get away — only four Kroumen left. 
Massa Francisco, how you come back again ? Every 
body tink you dead. I say no, not dead — ab charm 
with him — ab book." 

" If that was my charm, I have it still," replied 
Francisco, taking the Bible out of his vest ; for, strange 
to say, Francisco himself had a kind of superstition 
relative to that Bible, and had put it into his bosom 
previous to the attack made by the pirates. 

" Dat very good, Massa Francisco ; den you quite 
safe. Here come Johnson — he very bad man. I go 
away." 

In the mean time Cain had retired to his cabin 
with feelings scarcely to be analysed. He was in a 



THE MEETING. 177 



bewilderment. Notwithstanding the wound he had 
received by the hand of Francisco, he would never 
have sanctioned Hawkhurst putting him on shore on 
a spot which promised nothing but a lingering and 
miserable death. Irritated as he had been by the 
young man's open defiance, he loved him, loved him 
much more than he was aware of himself; and when 
he had recovered sufficiently from his wound, and 
had been informed where Francisco had been sent on 
shore, he quarrelled with Hawkhurst, and reproached 
him bitterly and sternly, in language which Hawkhurst 
never forgot or forgave. The vision of the starving 
lad haunted Cain, and rendered him miserable. His 
aifection for him, now that he was, as he supposed, 
lost for ever, increased with tenfold force ; and since 
that period Cain had never been seen to smile. He 
became more gloomy, more ferocious than ever, and 
the men trembled when he appeared on deck. 

The apparition of Francisco after so long an interval, 
and in such an unexpected quarter of the globe, acted, 
as we have before described, upon Cain. When he 
was taken to the boat he was still confused in his ideas ; 
and it was not until they were nearly on board, that 
he perceived that this young man was indeed at his 
side. He could have fallen on his neck and kissed 
him ; for Francisco had become to him a capture 



178 THE MEETING. 



more prized than all the wealth of the Indies. But 
one pure, good feeling was unextinguished in the 
bosom of Cain ; stained with every crime — with his 
hands so deeply imbrued in blood — at enmity with 
all the rest of the world; — that one feeling burnt 
bright and clear, and was not to be quenched. It 
might have proved a beacon-light to steer him back 
to repentance and to good works. 

But there were other feelings which also crowded 
upon the mind of the pirate captain. He knew Fran- 
cisco's firmness and decision. By some inscrutable 
means, which Cain considered as supernatural, Fran- 
cisco had obtained the knowledge, and had accused 
him, of his mother's death. Would not the affection 
which he felt for the young man be met with hatred 
and defiance ? He was but too sure that it would : 
and then his gloomy, cruel disposition would reassume 
its influence, and he thought of revenging the attack 
upon his life. His astonishment at the reappearance 
of Francisco was equally great, and he trembled at 
the sight of him as if he was his accusing and con- 
demning spirit. Thus did he wander from one fearful 
fancy to another, until he at last summoned up resolu- 
tion to send for him. 

A morose dark man, whom Francisco had not seen 
when he was before in the schooner, obeyed the com- 



THE MEETING. 179 



mands of the captain. The irons were unlocked, and 
Francisco was brought down into the cabin. The 
captain rose and shut the door. 

" I little thought to see you here, Francisco," said 
Cain. 

"Probably not," replied Francisco, boldly; "but 
you have me again in your power and may now 
wreak your vengeance." 

" I feel none, Francisco ; nor would I have suffered 
you to have been put on shore as you were, had I 
known of it. Even now that our expedition has failed 
through your means, I feel no anger towards you, 
although I shall have some difficulty in preserving 
you from the enmity of others. Indeed, Francisco, I 
am glad to find that you are alive, and I have bitterly 
mourned your loss : " and Cain extended his hand. 

But Francisco folded his arms, and was silent. 

"Are you then so unforgiving?" said the captain; 
"you know that I tell the truth." 

"I believe that you state the truth, Captain Cain, 
for you are too bold to lie ; and, as far as I am con- 
cerned, you have all the forgiveness you may wish : 
but I cannot take that hand — nor are our accounts 
still settled." 

"What would you more? Cannot we be friends 
again ? I do not ask you to remain on board. You 



180 THE MEETING. 



are free to go where you please. Come Francisco, 
take my hand, and let us forget what is passed." 

" The hand that is imbrued with my mother's blood, 
perhaps ! " exclaimed Francisco — " Never ! " 

"Not so, by God!" exclaimed Cain. "No, no; 
not quite so bad as that. In my mood I struck your 
mother, I grant it. I did not intend to injure her, but 
I did, and she died. I will not lie — that is the fact ; 
and it is also the fact that I wept over her, Francisco, 
for I loved her as I do you. (It was a hasty, bitter 
blow that," continued Cain, soliloquising, with his hand 
to his forehead, and unconscious of Francisco's presence 
at the moment. " It made me what I am, for it made 
me reckless.) Francisco," said Cain, raising his head, 
" I was bad, but I was no pirate when your mother 
lived. There is a curse upon me; that which I love 
most I treat the worst. Of all the world, I loved your 
mother most — yet did she from me receive most injury, 
and at last I caused her death. Next to your mother, 
whose memory I at once revere and love, and tremble 
when I think of — and each night does she appear to me 
— I have loved you, Francisco — for you, like her, have 
an angel's feelings ; yet have I treated you as ill. You 
thwarted me, and you were right. Had you been wrong 
I had not cared, but you were right, and it maddened 
me — your appeals by day — your mother's in my dreams." 



THE MEETING. 181 



Francisco's heart was softened; if not repentance, 
there was at least contrition. " Indeed, I pity you," 
replied Francisco. 

" You must do more, Francisco ; you must be 
friends with me," said Cain, again extending his 
hand. 

" I cannot take that hand — it is too deeply dyed in 
blood," replied Francisco. 

" Well, well, so would have said your mother. But 
hear me, Francisco," said Cain, lowering his voice to 
a whisper, lest he should be overheard — "I am tired 
of this life — perhaps sorry for what I have done — I 
wish to leave it — have wealth in plenty concealed 
where others know it not. Tell me, Francisco, shall 
we both quit this vessel, and live together happily 
and without doing wrong? You shall share all, 
Francisco. Say, now, does that please you?" 

" Yes ; it pleases me to hear that you will abandon 
your lawless life, Captain Cain : but share your wealth 
I cannot, for how has it been gained ? " 

" It cannot be returned, Francisco ; I will do good 
with it. I will, indeed, Francisco. I — will — repent : " 
and again the hand was extended. 

Francisco hesitated. 

" I do — so help me, God ! I do repent, Francisco," 
exclaimed the pirate captain. 



182 THE MEETING. 



" And I, as a Christian, do forgive you all," replied 
Francisco, taking the still extended hand. " May God 
forgive you, too !" 

"Amen!" replied the pirate, solemnly, covering 
his face up in his hands. 

In this position he remained some minutes, Fran- 
cisco watching him in silence. At last the face was 
uncovered, and, to the surprise of Francisco, a tear 
was on the cheek of Cain, and his eyes suffused with 
moisture. Francisco no longer waited for the hand 
to be extended ; he walked up to the captain, and, 
taking him by the hand, pressed it warmly. 

" God bless you, boy ! God bless you ! " said Cain ; 
" but leave me now." 

Francisco returned on deck with a light and grateful 
heart. His countenance at once told those who were 
near him that he was not condemned, and many who 
dared not before take notice of, now saluted him. 
The man who had taken him out of irons looked 
round ; he was a creature of Hawkhurst, and he knew 
not how to act. Francisco observed him, and, with a 
wave of his hand, ordered him to go below. That 
Francisco was again in authority was instantly per- 
ceived : and the first proof of it was, that the new 
second mate reported to him that there was a sail on 
the weather bow. 



THE MEETING. 183 



Francisco took the glass to examine her. It was 
a large schooner under all sail. Not wishing that any 
one should enter the cabin but himself, he went down 
to the cabin-door, and knocked before he entered, 
and reported the vessel. 

" Thank you, Francisco ; you must take Hawkhurst's 
duty for the present — it shall not be for long; and 
fear not that I shall make another capture. I swear 
to you I will not, Francisco. But this schooner — I 
know very well what she is : she has been looking 
after us some time ; and a week ago, Francisco, I was 
anxious to meet her that I might shed more blood. 
Now I will do all I can to avoid her, and escape. I 
can do no more, Francisco. I must not be taken." 

" There I cannot blame you. To avoid her will 
be easy, I should think ; the Avenger outsails every 
thing." 

" Except, I believe, the Enterprise, which is a sister 
vessel. By heavens ! it 's a fair match," continued Cain, 
his feelings of combativeness returning for a moment ; 
" and it will look like a craven to refuse the fight : 
but fear not, Francisco — I have promised you, and 
I shall keep my word." 

Cain went on deck, and surveyed the vessel through 
the glass. 

"Yes, it must be her," said he aloud, so as to be 



184 THE MEETING. 



heard by the pirates ; " she has been sent out by the 
admiral on purpose, full of his best men. What a 
pity we are so shorthanded !" 

"There's enough of us, sir," observed the boat- 
swain. 

"Yes," replied Cain, "if there was any thing but 
hard blows to be got; but that is all, and I cannot 
spare more men. Ready about !" continued he, 
walking aft. 

The Enterprise, for she was the vessel in pursuit, 
was then about five miles distant, steering for the 
Avenger, who was on a wind. As soon as the Avenger 
tacked, the Enterprise took in her topmast studding- 
sail, and hauled her wind. This brought the Enterprise 
well on the weather-quarter of the Avenger, who now 
made all sail. The pirates, who had had quite enough 
of fighting, and were not stimulated by the presence 
of Hawkhurst, or the wishes of their captain, now 
shewed as much anxiety to avoid as they usually did 
to seek a combat. 

At the first trial of sailing between the two schooners 
there was no perceptible difference ; for half an hour 
they both continued on a wind, and, when Edward 
Templemore examined his sextant a second time, he 
could not perceive that he had gained upon the Avenger 
one cable's length. 



THE MEETING. 185 



" We will keep away half a point/' said Edward to 
his second in command. " We can afford that, and 
still hold the weather-gage." 

" The Enterprise was kept away, and increased her 
speed : they neared the Avenger more than a quarter 
of a mile. 

" They are nearing us," observed Francisco ; " we 
must keep away a point" 

Away went the Avenger, and would have recovered 
her distance, but the Enterprise was again steered 
more off the wind. 

Thus did they continue altering their course until 
the studding-sails below and aloft were set by both, 
and the position of the schooners was changed; the 
Enterprise now being on the starboard instead of 
the larboard quarter of the Avenger. The relative 
distance between the two schooners was, however, 
nearly the same, that is, about three miles and a half 
from each other; and there was every prospect of a 
long and weary chase on the part of the Enterprise, 
who again kept away a point to near the Avenger. 
Both vessels were now running to the eastward. 

It was about an hour before dark that another sail 
hove in sight right a-head of the Avenger, and was 
clearly made out to be a frigate. The pirates were 
alarmed at this unfortunate circumstance, as there was 



186 THE MEETING. 



little doubt but that she would prove a British cruiser ; 
and, if not, they had equally reason to expect that 
she would assist in their capture. She had evidently 
perceived the two schooners, and had made all sail, 
tacking every quarter of an hour so as to keep her 
relative position. The Enterprise, who had also made 
out the frigate, to attract her attention, although not 
within range of the Avenger, commenced firing with 
her long-gun. 

" This is rather awkward," observed Cain. 

"It will be dark in less than an hour," observed 
Francisco ; " and that is our only chance." 

Cain reflected a minute. 

" Get the long-gun ready, my lads ! We will 
return her fire, Francisco, and hoist American colours; 
that will puzzle the frigate at all events, and the 
night may do the rest." 

The long-gun of the Avenger was ready. 

" I would not fire the long-gun," observed Fran- 
cisco ; " it will shew our force, and will give no 
reason for our attempt to escape. Now, if we were 
to fire our broadside guns, the difference of report 
between them and the one of large calibre fired by 
the other schooner, would induce them to think that 
we are an American vessel." 

" Very true," replied Cain ; " and, as America is 



THE MEETING. 187 



at peace with all the world, that our antagonist is a 
pirate. Hold last the long-gun. there ! and unship the 
starboard ports. See that that ensign blows out clear." 

The Avenger commenced firing an occasional gun 
from her broadside, the reports of which were hardly 
to be heard by those on board of the frigate : while 
the long-gun of the Enterprise reverberated along the 
water, and its Load resonance was swept by the wind 
to the frigate to leeward. 

Such was the state of affairs when the sun sank 
down in the wave, and darkness obscured the vessels 
from each other's sight, except with the assistance 
of the night-telescopes. 

■■'What do you propose to do, Captain Cain?" said 
Francisco. 

" I have made up my mind to do a bold thing. 
I will run down to the frigate as if for shelter: tell 
him that the other vessel is a pirate, and claim his 
protection. Leave me to escape afterwards ; the moon 
will not rise till nearly one o'clock." 

••' That will be a bold ruse indeed : but suppose 
you are once under her broadside, and she suspects 
you '? " 

•'•' Then I will shew her mv heels. I should care 
nothing for her and her broadside if the schooner was 
not here." 



188 THE MEETING. 



In an hour after dark, the Avenger was close to 
the frigate, having steered directly for her. She 
shortened sail gradually, as if she had few hands on 
board ; and, keeping his men out of sight, Cain ran 
under the stern of the frigate, 

"Schooner, ahoy! What schooner is that?" 

" Eliza of Baltimore, from Carthagena," replied 
Cain, rounding to under the lee of the man-of-war, 
and then continuing : " That vessel in chase is a 
pirate. Shall I send a boat on board?" 

" No ; keep company with us." 

" Ay, ay, sir," replied Cain. 

" Hands about ship ! " now resounded with the 
boatswain's whistles on board of the frigate, and in a 
minute they were on the other tack. The Avenger 
also tacked and kept close under the frigate's counter. 

In the mean time, Edward Templemore and those 
on board of the Enterprise, who, by the course steered, 
had gradually neared them, perceiving the motions 
of the two other vessels, were quite puzzled. At one 
time they thought they had made a mistake, and that 
it was not the pirate vessel; at another they surmised 
that the crew had mutinied and surrendered to the 
frigate. Edward hauled his wind, and steered directly 
for them, to ascertain what the real facts were. The 
captain of the frigate, who had never lost sight of 



THE MEETING. 189 



either vessel, was equally astonished at the boldness 
of the supposed pirate. 

" Surely the rascal does not intend to board us," 
said he to the first-lieutenant. 

" There is no saying, sir ; you know what a character 
he has: and some say there are three hundred men 
on board, which is equal to our ship's company." 

" Or, perhaps, sir, he will pass to windward of us, 
and give us a broadside, and be off in the wind's-eye 
again." 

" At all events we will have a broadside ready for 
him," replied the captain. " Clear away the starboard 
guns, and take out the tompions. Pipe starboard-watch 
to quarters." 

The Enterprise closed with the frigate to windward, 
intending to run round her stern and bring to on the 
same tack. 

" He does not shorten sail yet, sir," said the first- 
lieutenant, as the schooner appeared skimming along 
about a cable's length on their weather bow. 

" And she is full of men, sir," said the master, 
looking at her through the night-glass. 

" Fire a gun at her ! " said the captain. 

Bang ! The smoke cleared away, and the schooner's 
foretopsail, which she was in act of clewing up, 
lay over her side. The shot had struck the foremast 



190 THE MEETING. 

of the Enterprise, and cut it in two below the cathar- 
pings. The Enterprise was, for the time, completely 
disabled. 

"Schooner, ahoy! What schooner is that?" 

" His Majesty's schooner Enterprise." 

" Send a boat on board immediately." 

" Ay, ay, sir." 

" Turn the hands up ! Shorten sail ! " 

The top-gallants and courses of the frigate were 
taken in, and the mainsail hove to the mast. 

" Signalman, whereabouts is that other schooner 
now?" 

" The schooner, sir ? On the quarter," replied the 
signalman, who, with every body else on board, was 
so anxious about the Enterprise, that they had neg- 
lected to watch the motions of the supposed American. 
The man had replied at random, and he now jumped 
upon the signal-chests abaft to look for her. But she 
was not to be seen. Cain, who had watched all that 
passed between the other two vessels, and had been 
prepared to slip off at a moment's warning, as soon 
as the gun was fired at the other schooner, had wore 
round and made all sail on a wind. The night-glass 
discovered her half a mile astern; and the ruse was 
immediately perceived. The frigate filled and made 
sail, leaving Edward to return on board — for there 



THE MEETING. 191 



was no time to stop for the boat — tacked, and gave 
chase. But the Avenger was soon in the wind's-eye 
of her ; and at daylight was no longer to be seen. 

In the mean time, Edward Templemore had followed 
the frigate as soon as he could set sail on his vessel, 
indignant at his treatment, and vowing that he would 
demand a court-martial. About noon the frigate 
rejoined him, when matters were fully explained. 
Annoyed as they all felt at not having captured the 
pirate, it was unanimously agreed, that by his audacity 
and coolness he deserved to escape. It was found 
that the mast of the Enterprise could be fished and 
scarfed, so as to enable her to continue her cruise. 
The carpenters of the frigate were sent on board; 
and in two days the injury was repaired, and Edward 
Templemore once more went in pursuit of the Avenger. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE MISTAKE. 

The Avenger stood under a press of sail to the north- 
ward. She had left her pursuers far behind; and 
there was not a speck on the horizon, when, on the 
second morning, Francisco, who had resumed his berth 
in the captain's cabin, went up on deck. Notwithstand- 
ing the request of Cain, Francisco refused to take any 
part in the command of the schooner, considering him- 
self as a passenger, or prisoner on parole, He had not 
been on deck but a few minutes, when he observed the 
two Spanish fishermen belonging to the establishment 
of Don Cumanos conversing together forward. Their 
capture had quite escaped his memory, and he went 
forward to speak to them. Their surprise at seeing him 
was great, until Francisco informed them of what had 
passed. They then recounted what had occurred to 
them, and shewed their thumbs, which had been put into 
screws to torture from them the truth. Francisco shud- 
dered, but consoled them, promising that they should 
soon be at liberty, and return to their former master. 



THE MISTAKE. 193 



As Francisco returned from forward, he found 
Hawkhurst on the deck. Their eyes met and flashed 
in enmity. Hawkhurst was pale from loss of blood, 
and evidently suffering; but he had been informed of 
the apparent reconciliation between Francisco and the 
captain, and he could no longer remain in his bed. 
He knew, also, how the captain had avoided the 
combat with the Enterprise ; and something told him 
that there was a revolution of feeling in more than in 
one point. Suffering as he was, he resolved to be a 
spectator of what passed, and to watch narrowly. For 
both Francisco and Cain he had imbibed a deadly 
hatred, and was watching for an opportunity to wreak 
his revenge. At present they were too powerful ; but 
he felt that the time was coming when he might be 
triumphant. 

Francisco passed Hawkhurst without speaking. 

"You are at liberty again, I see," observed Hawk- 
hurst with a sneer. 

" I am not, at all events, indebted to you for it," 
replied Francisco haughtily ; " nor for my life either." 

" No, indeed ; but I believe that I am indebted to 
you for this bullet in my shoulder," replied the mate. 

"You are," replied Francisco coolly. 

" And depend upon it the debt shall be repaid 
with usury." 



194 THE MISTAKE. 



a I have no doubt of it, if ever it is in your power ; 
but I fear you not." 

As Francisco made this reply, the captain came 
up the ladder. Hawkhurst turned away and walked 
forward. 

" There is mischief in that man, Francisco," said 
the captain in an under tone ; " I hardly know whom 
to trust; but he must be watched. He is tampering 
with the men, and has been for some time; not that 
it is of much consequence, if he does but remain quiet 
for a little while. The command of this vessel he is 
welcome to very soon ; but if he attempts too early — " 

" I have those I can trust to," replied Francisco. 
" Let us go below." 

Francisco sent for Pompey the Krouman, and gave 
him his directions in the presence of the captain. That 
night, to the surprise of all, Hawkhurst kept his watch ; 
and, notwithstanding the fatigue, appeared every day 
to be rapidly recovering from his wound. 

Nothing occurred for several days, during which 
the Avenger still continued her course. What the 
captain's intentions were did not transpire ; they were 
known only to Francisco. 

" We are very short of water, sir," reported Hawk- 
hurst one morning : " shall we have enough to last 
us to where we are going?" 



THE MISTAKE. 195 



" How many days of full allowance have we on 
board?" 

" Not above twelve at the most." 

" Then we must go on half allowance," replied 
Cain. 

" The ship's company wish to know where we are 
going, sir." 

(i Have they deputed you to ask the question?" 

" Not exactly, sir ; but I wish to know myself," 
replied Hawkhurst, with an insolent ah*. 

" Turn the hands up," replied Cain: " as one of 
the ship's company under my orders, you will, with 
the others, receive the information you require." 

The crew of the pirate collected aft. 

" My lads !" said Cain, " I understand, from the 
first mate, that you are anxious to know where you 
are going? In reply, I acquaint you, that having so 
many wounded men on board, and so much plunder 
in the hold, I intend to repair to our rendezvous when 
we were formerly in this part of the world — the 
Caicos. Is there any other question you may wish 
to ask of me ? " 

"Yes," replied Hawkhurst; "we wish to know 
what your intentions are relative to that young man, 
Francisco. We have lost immense wealth ; we have 
now thirty men wounded in the hammocks, and nine 



196 THE MISTAKE. 



we left dead on the shore ; and I have a bullet through 
my body: all which has been occasioned by him. 
We demand justice !" 

Here Hawkhurst was supported by several of the 
pirates; and there were many voices which repeated 
the cry of " Justice ! " 

" My men! You demand justice, and you shall 
have it," replied Cain. " This lad you all know well ; 
I have brought him up as a child. He has always 
disliked our mode of life, and has often requested to 
leave it, and has been refused. He challenged me by 
our own laws, 'Blood for blood!' He wounded me; 
but he was right in his challenge, and, therefore, I bear 
no malice. Had I been aware that he was to have 
been sent on shore to die with hunger, I would not 
have permitted it. What crime had he committed? 
None; or, if any, it was against me. He was then 
sentenced to death for no crime, and you yourselves 
exclaimed against it. Is it not true?" 

" Yes — yes," replied the majority of the pirates. 

" By a miracle he escapes, and is put in charge of 
another man's property. There was no crime in de- 
fending that property. He is made a prisoner, and 
now you demand justice. You shall have it. Allow- 
ing that his life is forfeit for this offence, — you have 
already sentenced him, and left him to death unjustly, 



THE MISTAKE. 197 



and therefore are bound in justice to give his life in 
this instance. I ask it, my men, not only as his right, 
but as a favour to your captain." 

"Agreed; it's all fair!" exclaimed the majority of 
the pirate's crew. 

" My men, I thank you," replied Cain ; " and, in 
return, as soon as we arrive at the Caicos, my share 
of the plunder on board shall be divided among you." 

This last observation completely turned the tables 
in favour of the captain ; and those who had joined 
Hawkhurst, now sided with the captain. Hawkhurst 
looked like a demon. 

" Let those who choose to be bought off, take 
your money," replied he ; " but / ivill not. Blood for 
blood I will have; and so I give you warning. That 
lad's life is mine, and have it I will ! Prevent me, if 
you can ! " continued the mate ; holding up his clenched 
hand, and shaking it almost in the pirate-captain's face. 

The blood mantled even to the forehead of Cain. 
One moment he raised himself to his utmost height, 
then seizing a handspike, which lay near, he felled 
Hawkhurst to the deck. 

" Take that, for your mutiny ! " exclaimed Cain, 
putting his foot on Hawkhurst's neck. " My lads, I 
appeal to you. Is this man worthy to be in command, 
as mate ? Is he to live ? " 



198 THE MISTAKE. 



"No! no!" cried the pirates; "Death!" 

Francisco stepped forward. " My men, you have 
granted your captain one favour; grant me another — 
which is the life of this man. Recollect how often he 
has led you to conquest, and how brave and faithful 
he has been until now ! Recollect that he is suffering 
under his wound, which has made him irritable. Com- 
mand you he cannot any longer, as he will never have 
the confidence of your captain ; but let him live, and 
quit the vessel." 

" Be it so, if you agree," replied Cain, looking at 
the men ; " I do not seek his life." 

The pirates consented. Hawkhurst rose slowly from 
the deck, and was assisted below to his cabin. The 
second mate was then appointed as the first, and the 
choice of the man to fill up the vacancy was left to 
the pirate -crew. 

For three days after this scene all was quiet and 
orderly on board of the pirate. Cain, now that he 
had more fully made up his mind how to act, imparted 
to Francisco his plans; and his giving up to the men 
his share of the booty still on board, was, to Fran- 
cisco, an earnest of his good intentions. A cordiality, 
even a kind of feeling which never existed before, 
was created between them ; but of Francisco's mother, 
and the former events of his own life, the pirate 



THE MISTAKE. 199 



never spoke. Francisco more than once put questions 
on the subject ; the answer was, — " You shall know 
some of these days, Francisco, but not yet ; you would 
hate me too much ! " 

The Avenger was now clear of the English isles, 
and with light winds, running down the shores of Porto 
Rico. In the evening of the day on which they had 
made the land, the schooner was becalmed about three 
miles from the shore, and the new first mate proposed 
that he should land in the boat and obtain a further 
supply of water, from a fall which they had discovered 
with the glasses. As this was necessary, Cain gave his 
consent, and the boat quitted the vessel full of breakers. 

Now it happened that the Avenger lay becalmed 
abreast of the country-seat of Don d'Alfarez, the go- 
vernor of the island. Clara had seen the schooner ; 
and, as usual, had thrown out the white curtain as 
a signal of recognition; for there was no perceptible 
difference, even to a sailor, at that distance, between 
the Avenger and the Enterprise. She had hastened 
down to the beach, and hurried into the cave, awaiting 
the arrival of Edward Templemore. The pirate-boat 
landed at the very spot of rendezvous, and the mate 
leaped out of the boat. Clara flew to receive her 
Edward, and was instantly seized by the mate, before 
she discovered her mistake. 



200 THE MISTAKE. 



" Holy Virgin ! who and what are you ? " cried 
she; struggling to disengage herself. 

" One who is very fond of a pretty girl ! " replied 
the pirate ; still detaining her. 

" Unhand me, wretch ! " cried Clara ; " are you 
aware whom you are addressing ? " 

" Not I ! nor do I care ; " replied the pirate. 

" You will, perhaps, sir, when you learn that I 
am the daughter of the governor ! " exclaimed Clara, 
pushing him away. 

" Yes ! by heavens ! you are right, pretty lady, I 
do care ; for a governor's daughter will fetch a good 
ransom at all events. So come, my lads, a little help 
here ; for she is as strong as a young mule. Never 
mind the water, throw the breakers into the boat 
again ! we have a prize worth taking ! " 

Clara screamed ; but she was gagged with a hand- 
kerchief, and lifted into the boat, which immediately 
rowed back to the schooner. 

When the mate came on board and reported his 
capture, the pirates were delighted at the prospect of 
addition to their prize-money. Cain could not, of 
course, raise any objections ; it would have been so 
different from his general practice, that it would have 
strengthened suspicions already set afloat by Hawk- 
hurst, which Cain was most anxious just then to 



THE MISTAKE. 201 



remove. He ordered the girl to be taken down into 
the cabin, hoisted in the boat, and the breeze springing 
up again, made sail. 

In the meantime Francisco was consoling the un- 
fortunate Clara, and assuring her that she need be 
under no alarm; promising her protection from him- 
self and the captain. 

The poor girl wept bitterly ; and it was not until 
Cain came down into the cabin and corroborated the 
assurances of Francisco, that she could assume any 
degree of composure ; but to find friends when she had 
expected every insult and degradation — for Francisco 
had acknowledged that the vessel was a pirate — was 
some consolation. The kindness and attention of 
Francisco restored her to comparative tranquillity. 

The next day, she confided to him the reason of 
her coming to the beach, and her mistake with regard 
to the two vessels; and Francisco and Cain promised 
her that they would themselves pay her ransom, and 
not wait until she heard from her father. To divert 
her thoughts, Francisco talked much about Edward 
Templemore ; and on that subject Clara could always 
talk. Every circumstance attending the amour was 
soon known to Francisco. 

But the Avenger did not gain her rendezvous as 
soon as she expected. When to the northward of 



202 THE MISTAKE. 



Porto Rico, an English frigate bore down upon her, 
and the Avenger was obliged to run for it. Before 
the wind is always a schooner's worst point of sailing; 
and the chase was continued for three days before a 
fresh wind from the southward, until they had passed 
the Bahama Isles. 

The pirates suffered much from want of water, as 
it was necessary still further to reduce their allowance. 
The frigate was still in sight, although the Avenger 
had dropped her astern when the wind became light, 
and at last it subsided into a calm, which lasted two 
days more. The boats of the frigate were hoisted out 
on the eve of the second day to attack the schooner, 
then distant five miles, when a breeze sprang up from 
the northward, and the schooner being then to wind- 
ward, left the enemy hull down. 

It was not until the next day that Cain ventured 
to run again to the southward, to procure at one of 
the keys the water so much required. At last it was 
obtained ; but with difficulty and much loss of time 
from the scantiness of the supply, and they again 
made sail for the Caicos. But they were so much 
impeded by contrary winds and contrary currents, 
that it was not until three weeks after they had been 
chased from Porto Rico that they made out the low 
land of their former rendezvous. 



THE MISTAKE. 203 



We must now return to Edward Templemore in 
the Enterprise, whom we left off the coast of South 
America in search of the Avenger, which had so 
strangely slipped through their fingers. Edward had 
examined the whole coast, ran through the passage 
and round Trinidad, and then started off to the Lee- 
ward Isles in his pursuit. He had spoken every vessel 
he met with, without gaining any information, and 
had, at last, arrived off Porto Rico. 

This was no time to think of Clara ; but, as it was 
not out of his way, he had run down the island ; and 
as it was just before dark before he arrived off that 
part of the coast where the governor resided, he had 
hove to for a little while, and had examined the 
windows ; but the signal of recognition was not made ; 
and, after waiting till dark, he again made sail, mad 
with disappointment, and fearing that all had been 
discovered by the governor ; whereas, the fact was, 
that he had arrived only two days after the forcible 
abduction of Clara. Once more he directed his atten- 
tion to the discovery of the pirate ; and after a 
fortnight's examination of the inlets and bays of the 
Island of St. Domingo, without success, his provisions 
and water being nearly expended, he returned, in no 
very happy mood, to Port Royal. 

In the meantime, the disappearance of Clara had 



204 THE MISTAKE. 



created the greatest confusion in Porto Rico; and, 
upon the examination of her attendant, who was con- 
fronted by the friar and the duenna, the amour of her 
mistress was confessed. The appearance of the Avenger 
off the coast on that evening, confirmed their ideas that 
the Donna Clara had been carried off by the English 
lieutenant; and Don Alfarez immediately despatched 
a vessel to Jamaica, complaining of the outrage, and 
demanding the restoration of his daughter. 

This vessel arrived at Port Royal a few days before 
the Enterprise, and the admiral was very much asto- 
nished. He returned a very polite answer to Don 
Alfarez, promising an investigation immediately upon 
the arrival of the schooner, and to send a vessel with 
the result of the said investigation. 

" This is a pretty business," said the admiral to his 
secretary. " Young madcap ! I sent him to look after 
a pirate, and he goes after the governor's daughter ! 
By the lord Harry! Mr. Templemore, but you and 
I shall have an account to settle." 

" I can hardly believe it, sir," replied the secretary ; 
"and yet it does look suspicious. But on so short 
an acquaintance " 

"Who knows that, Mr. Hadley? Send for his 
logs, and let us examine them; he may have been 
keeping up the acquaintance." 



THE MISTAKE. 205 



The logs of the Enterprise were examined, — and 
there were the fatal words — Porto Rico — Porto Rico, 
bearing in every division of the compass ; and in 
every separate cruise, nay, even when the schooner 
was charged with despatches. 

"Plain enough!" said the admiral. "Confounded 
young scamp ! — to embroil me this way. Not that 
his marrying the girl is any business of mine ; but I 
will punish him for disobedience of orders, at all 
events ! Try him by a court-martial, by heavens !" 

The secretary made no reply: he knew very well 
that the admiral would do no such thing. 

" The Enterprise anchored at daylight, sir ; " re- 
ported the secretary, as the admiral sat down to 
breakfast. 

" And where's Mr. Templemore ? " 

" He is outside, in the verandah. They have told 
him below of what he has been accused, and he swears 
it is false. I believe him, sir ; for he appears half 
mad at the intelligence." 

" Stop a moment ! Have you looked over his 
log?" 

"Yes, sir. It appears that he was off Porto Rico 
on the 19th ; but the Spanish governors letter says 
that he was there on the 17 th, and again made his 
appearance on the 19th. I mentioned it to him; and 



206 THE MISTAKE. 



he declares, upon his honour, that he was only there 
on the 19th, as stated in his log." 

" Well ! let him come in and speak for himself." 

Edward came in, in a state of great agitation. 

" Well, Mr. Templemore ! — you have been playing 
pretty tricks ! What is all this, sir ? — Where is the 
girl, sir — the governor's daughter?" 

" Where she is, sir, I cannot pretend to say ; but 
I feel convinced that she has been carried off by the 
pirates." 

"Pirates! — Poor girl! I pity her — and — I pity 
you, too, Edward. Come, sit down here, and tell me 
all that has happened." 

Edward knew the admiral's character so well, that 
he immediately disclosed all that had passed between 
him and Clara. He then stated how the Avenger had 
escaped him by deceiving the frigate ; and the agree- 
ment made with Clara to meet for the future on the 
beach; with his conviction that the pirate schooner, 
so exactly similar in appearance to the Enterprise, 
must have preceded him at Porto Rico, and have 
carried off the object of his attachment. 

Although Edward might have been severely taken 
to task, yet the admiral pitied him, and therefore said 
nothing about his visits to Porto Rico. When break- 
fast was over, he ordered the signal to be made for a 



THE MISTAKE. *207 



sloop of war to prepare to weigh, and the Enterprise 
to be re-victualled by the boats of the squadron. 

" Now, Edward, you and the Comus shall sail in 
company after this rascally pirate ; and I trust you 
will give me a good account of her, and also of the 
governor's daughter. Cheer up, my boy ! depend 
upon it, they will try for ransom before they do her 
any injury." 

That evening the Enterprise and Comus sailed on 
their expedition ; and, having run by Porto Rico, and 
delivered a letter to the governor, they steered to the 
northward, and early the next morning made the land 
of the Caicos, just as the Avenger had skirted the 
reefs, and bore up for the narrow entrance. 

" There she is ! " exclaimed Edward ; " there she 
is, by heavens!" making the signal for the enemy; 
which was immediately answered by the Comus. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE CAICOS. 

The small patch of islands called the Caicos or 
Cayques, is situated about two degrees to the northward 
of St. Domingo, and are nearly the southernmost of a 
chain which extend up to the Bahamas. Most of the 
islands of this chain are uninhabited, but were formerly 
the resort of piratical vessels, as the reefs and shoals 
with which they are all surrounded afforded them pro- 
tection from their larger pursuers ; and the passages 
through this dangerous navigation being known only 
to the pirates who frequented them, proved an addi- 
tional security. The largest of the Caicos islands forms 
a curve like an opened horse-shoe to the southward, 
with safe and protected anchorage when once in the bay 
on the southern side; but, previous to arriving at the 
anchorage, there are coral reefs extending upwards of 
forty miles, through which it is necessary to conduct 
a vessel. This passage is extremely intricate, but was 
well known to Hawkhurst, who had hitherto been 
pilot. Cain was not so well acquainted with it, and 



THE CAICOS. 209 



it required the greatest care in taking in the vessel, 
as, on the present occasion, Hawkhurst could not be 
called upon for this service. The islands themselves, 
for there were several of them, were composed of coral 
rock: a few cocoa-trees raised their lofty heads where 
there was sufficient earth for vegetation, and stunted 
brushwood rose up between the interstices of the rocks. 
But the chief peculiarity of the islands, and which 
rendered them suitable to those who frequented them, 
was the numerous caves with which the rocks were 
perforated, some above high-water mark, but the ma- 
jority with the sea-water flowing in and out of them, 
in some cases merely rushing in, and, at high-water, 
filling deep pools, which were detached from each other 
when the tide receded; in others, with a sufficient 
depth of water, at all times, to allow you to pull in 
with a large boat. It is hardly necessary to observe how 
convenient the higher and dry caves were as receptacles 
for articles which were intended to be concealed until 
an opportunity occurred for disposing of them. 

In our last chapter we stated, that, just as the 
Avenger had entered the passage, through the reefs, 
the Comus and Enterprise hove in sight and discovered 
her : but it will be necessary to explain the positions 
of the vessels. The Avenger had entered the southern 
channel, with the wind from the southward, and had 



E E 



210 THE CAICOS. 



carefully sounded her way for about four miles, under 
little or no sail. 

The Enterprise and Comus had been examining 
Turk's Island, to the eastward of the Caicos, and had 
passed to the northward of it on the larboard tack, 
standing in for the northern point of the reef, which 
joined on to the great Caicos Island. They were, there- 
fore, in a situation to intercept the Avenger before she 
arrived at her anchorage, had it not been for the reefs 
which barred their passage. The only plan which 
the English vessels could act upon, was to beat to 
the southward, so as to arrive at the entrance of the 
passage, when the Enterprise, would, of course, find 
sufficient water to follow the Avenger ; for, as the 
passage was too narrow to beat through, and the wind 
was from the southward, the Avenger could not possibly 
escape. She was- caught in a trap ; and all that she 
had to trust to, was the defence which she might be 
able to make in her stronghold against the force which 
could be employed in the attack. The breeze was 
fresh from the southward, and appeared inclined to 
increase, when the Comus and Enterprise made all 
sail, and worked, in short tacks, outside the reef. 

On board the Avenger, the enemy and their motions 
were clearly distinguished, and Cain perceived that he 
was in an awkward dilemma. That they would be 



THE CAICOS. 211 



attacked he had no doubt; and, although at any other 
time he would almost have rejoiced in such an oppor- 
tunity of discomfiting his assailants, yet now he thought 
very differently and would have sacrificed almost every 
thing to have been able to avoid the rencontre, and 
be permitted quietly to withdraw himself from his 
associates without the spilling of more blood. Fran- 
cisco was equally annoyed at this unfortunate collision ; 
but no words were exchanged between him and the 
pirate-captain during the time that they were on deck. 

It was about nine o'clock, when having safely 
passed nearly half through the channel, that Cain 
ordered the kedge-anchor to be dropped, and sent 
down the people to their breakfast. Francisco went 
down into the cabin, and was explaining their situa- 
tion to Clara, when Cain entered. He threw himself 
on the locker, and appeared lost in deep and sombre 
meditation. 

"What do you intend to do?" said Francisco. 

" I do not know ; I will not decide myself, Fran- 
cisco," replied Cain; "if I were to act upon my own 
judgment, probably I should allow the schooner to 
remain where she is. They can only attack in the 
boats, and, in such a case, I do not fear; whereas, if 
we run right through, we allow the other schooner to 
follow us without defending the passage, and we may 



212 THE CAICOS. 



then be attacked by her in the deep water inside, and 
overpowered by the number of men the two vessels 
will be able to bring against us. On the other hand, 
we certainly may defend the schooner from the shore 
as well as on board, but we are weak -handed. I shall, 
however, call up the ship's company and let them 
decide. God knows ! if left to me, I would not fight 
at all." 

"Is there no way of escape?" resumed Francisco. 

"Yes, we might abandon the schooner; and this 
night, when they would not expect it, run with the 
boats through the channel between the great island 
and the north Cayque, but that I dare not propose, 
and the men would not listen to it; indeed, I very 
much doubt if the enemy will allow us the time ; I knew 
this morning, long before we saw those vessels, that 
my fate would be decided before the sun went down." 

" What do you mean ? " 

" I mean this, Francisco," said Cain ; " that your 
mother, who always has visited me in my dreams 
whenever any thing, dreadful now to think of ! was 
about to take place, appeared to me last night, and 
there was sorrow and pity in her sweet face as she 
mournfully waved her hand as if to summon me to 
follow her. Yes, thank God ! she no longer looked 
upon me as for many years she has done." 



THE CAICOS. 213 



Francisco made no answer; and Cain again seemed 
to be lost in meditation. 

After a little while Cain rose, and taking a small 
packet from one of the drawers, put it into the hands 
of Francisco. 

" Preserve that," said the pirate-captain ; " should 
any accident happen to me, it will tell you who was 
your mother : and it also contains directions for finding 
treasure which I have buried. I leave every thing to 
you, Francisco. It has been unfairly obtained ; but you 
are not the guilty party, and there are none to claim it. 
Do not answer me now. You may find friends, whom 
you will make after I am gone, of the same opinion 
as I am. I tell you again, be careful of that packet." 

"I see little chance of it availing me," replied 
Francisco ; " if I live shall I not be considered as a 
pirate ? " 

" No, no ; you can prove the contrary." 

" I have my doubts ; but God's will be done." 

"Yes, God's will be done!" said Cain, mournfully; 
"I dared not have said that a month ago." And the 
pirate-captain went on deck, followed by Francisco. 

The crew of the Avenger were summoned aft, and 
called upon to decide as to the measures they con- 
sidered to be most advisable. They preferred weighing 
the anchor and running into the bay, where they would 



2 14 THE CAICOS. 



be able to defend the schooner, in their opinion, much 
better than by remaining where they were. 

The crew of the pirate schooner weighed the anchor^ 
and continued their precarious course : the breeze had 
freshened, and the water was in strong ripples, so that 
they could no longer see the danger beneath her bottom. 
In the meantime the sloop of war and Enterprise con- 
tinued to turn to windward outside of the reef. 

By noon the wind had considerably increased, and 
the breakers now turned and broke in wild foam over 
the coral reefs, in every direction. The sail was still 
more reduced on board the Avenger, and her diffi- 
culties increased from the rapidity of her motion. 

A storm-jib was set, and the other hauled down ; yet 
even under this small sail she flew before the wind. 

Cain stood at the bowsprit, giving his directions to 
the helmsman. More than once they had grazed the 
rocks, and were clear again. Spars were towed a-stern, 
and every means resorted to, to check her way. They 
had no guide but the breaking of the wild water on 
each side of them. 

« Why should not Hawkhurst, who knows the 
passage so well, be made to pilot us?" said the boat- 
swain to those who were near him on the forecastle. 

"To be sure, let's have him up," cried several of 
the crew; and some of them went down below. 



THE CAICOS. 215 



In a minute they reappeared with Hawkhurst, whom 
they led forward : he did not make any resistance, and 
the crew demanded that he should pilot the vessel. 

" And suppose I will not," said Hawkhurst coolly. 

" Then you lose your passage, that's all," replied 
the boatswain ; " is it not so, my men ? " continued he, 
appealing to the crew. 

" Yes ; either take us safe in, or — overboard," replied 
several. 

" I do not mind that threat, my lads," replied Hawk- 
hurst ; " you have all known me as a good man and 
true, and it 's not likely that I shall desert you now. 
Well, since your captain there cannot save you, I sup- 
pose I must ; but," exclaimed he, looking about him — 
" how 's this ? Why, we are out of the passage already. 
Yes, and whether we can get into it again I cannot tell." 

"We are not out of the passage," said Cain; "you 
know we are not." 

" Well, then, if the captain knows better than I, he 
had better take you through," rejoined Hawkhurst. 

But the crew thought differently, and insisted that 
Hawkhurst, who well knew the channel, should take 
charge. Cain retired aft, as Hawkhurst went out on 
the bowsprit. 

" I will do my best, my lads," said Hawkhurst ; 
"but, recollect, if we strike in trying to get into the 



216 THE CAICOS. 



right channel, do not blame me. Starboard a little — 
starboard yet — steady so — there 's the true passage, 
my lads ! " cried he, pointing to some smoother water 
between the breakers — " port a little — steady." 

But Hawkhurst, who knew that he was to be put 
on shore as soon as convenient, had resolved to lose 
the schooner, even if his own life was forfeited, and 
he was now running her out of the passage on the 
rocks. A minute after he had conned her, she struck 
heavily again and again ; the third time she struck she 
came broadside to the wind and heeled over: a sharp 
coral rock found its way through her slight timbers 
and planking, and the water poured in rapidly. 

During this there was a dead silence on the part 
of the marauders. 

" My lads," said Hawkhurst, " I have done my 
best, and now you may throw me overboard if you 
please. It was not my fault, but his," continued he, 
pointing to the captain. 

" It is of little consequence whose fault it was, Mr. 
Hawkhurst," replied Cain ; " we will settle that point 
by and by ; at present we have too much on our hands. 
Out boats, men ! as fast as you can, and let every man 
provide himself with arms and ammunition. Be cool ! 
the schooner is fixed hard enough, and will not go 
down; we shall save every thing by and by." 



THE CAICOS. 217 



The pirates obeyed the orders of the captain. The 
three boats were hoisted out and lowered down. In 
the first were placed all the wounded men and Clara 
D'Alfarez, who was assisted up by Francisco. As 
soon as the men had provided themselves with arms, 
Francisco, to protect Clara, offered to take charge of 
her, and the boat shoved off. 

The men-of-war had seen the Avenger strike on 
the rocks, and the preparations of the crew to take 
to their boats. They immediately hove to, hoisted out 
and manned their own boats with the hopes of cutting 
them off before they could gain the island and prepare 
for a vigorous defence ; for, although the vessels could 
not approach the reefs, there was sufficient water in 
many places for the boats to pass over them, Shortly 
after Francisco, in the first boat, had shoved off from 
the Avenger, the boats of the men-of-war were darting 
through the surf to intercept them. The pirates per- 
ceived this, and hastened their arrangements ; a second 
boat soon left her, and into that Hawkhurst leaped as 
it was shoving off. Cain remained on board, and 
going round the lower decks to ascertain if any of the 
wounded men were left, he then quitted the schooner 
in the last boat and followed the others, being about 
a quarter of a mile astern of the second, in which 
Hawkhurst had secured his place. 



218 THE CAICOS. 



At the time that Cain quitted the schooner, it was 
difficult to say whether the men-of-war's boats would 
succeed in intercepting any of the pirate's boats. Both 
parties exerted themselves to their utmost; and, when 
the first boat, with Francisco and Clara, landed, the 
headmost of the assailants was not much more than 
half a mile from them; but shallow water intervening, 
there was a delay which was favourable to the pirate. 
Hawkhurst landed in his boat as the launch of the 
Comus fired her eighteen pound carronade. The last 
boat was yet two hundred yards from the beach, when 
another shot from the Comus's launch, which had been 
unable hitherto to find a passage through the reef, 
struck her on the counter, and she filled and went 
down. 

" He is gone !" exclaimed Francisco, who had led 
Clara to a cave, and stood at the mouth of it to protect 
her : " they have sunk his boat — no, he is swimming 
to the shore, and will be here now, long before the 
English seamen can land." 

This was true. Cain was breasting the water man- 
fully, making for a small cove nearer to where the 
boat was sunk than the one in which Francisco had 
landed with Clara and the wounded men, and divided 
from the other by a ridge of rocks which separated 
the sandy beach, and extended some way into the 



THE CAICOS. 219 



water before they were submerged. Francisco could 
easily distinguish the pirate-captain from the other 
men, who also were swimming for the beach ; for 
Cain was far a-head of them, and, as he gained nearer 
to the shore, he was shut from Francisco's sight by 
the ridge of rocks. Francisco, anxious for his safety, 
climbed up the rocks and was watching. Cain was 
within a few yards of the beach when there was the 
report of a musket ; the pirate-captain was seen to 
rise his body convulsively half out of the water — he 
floundered — the clear blue wave was discoloured — 
he sank, and was seen no more. 

Francisco darted forward from the rocks, and per- 
ceived Hawkhurst standing beneath them with the 
musket in his hand, which he was recharging. 

"Villain!" exclaimed Francisco, " you shall account 
for this." 

Hawkhurst had reprimed his musket and shut the 
pan. 

" Not to you," replied Hawkhurst, levelling his 
piece, and taking aim at Francisco. 

The ball struck Francisco on the breast ; he reeled 
back from his position, staggered across the sand, 
gained the cave, and fell at the feet of Clara. 

"Oh, God!" exclaimed the poor girl, "are you 
hurt; who is there, then, to protect me?" 



•220 THE CAICOS. 



" I hardly know," replied Francisco faintly ; and, 
at intervals, " I feel no wound. I feel stronger ; " 
and Francisco put his hand to his heart. 

Clara opened his vest, and found that the packet 
given to Francisco by Cain, and which he had depo- 
sited in his breast, had been struck by the bullet, which 
had done him no injury further than the violent concus- 
sion of the blow — notwithstanding he was faint from 
the shock, and his head fell upon Clara's bosom. 

But we must relate the proceedings of those who 
were mixed up in this exciting scene. Edward Tem- 
plemore had watched from his vessel with an eager 
and painful curiosity, the motions of the schooner — her 
running on the rocks, and the subsequent actions of the 
intrepid marauders. The long telescope enabled him 
to perceive distinctly all that passed, and his feelings 
were increased into a paroxysm of agony when his 
straining eyes beheld the white and fluttering habili- 
ments of a female for a moment at the gunnel of the 
stranded vessel — her descent, as it appeared to him, 
nothing loath, into the boat — the arms held out to 
receive, and the extension of hers to meet those offered 
— could it be Clara ! where was the reluctance, the 
unavailing attempts at resistance which should have 
characterized her situation ? Excited by feelings which 
he dared not analyse, he threw down his glass, and, 



THE CAICOS. 221 



seizing his sword, sprang into his boat, which was 
ready manned alongside, desiring the others to follow 
him.. For once, and the only time in his existence 
when approaching the enemy, did he feel his heart 
sink within him — a cold tremor ran through his whole 
frame, and, as he called to mind the loose morals and 
desperate habits of the pirates, horrible thoughts entered 
his imagination. iVs he neared the shore, he stood 
up in the stern-sheets of the boat, pale, haggard, and 
with trembling lips — and the intensity of his feelings 
would have been intolerable but for a more violent 
thirst for revenge. He clenched his sword, while the 
quick throbs of his heart seemed, at every pulsation, 
to repeat to him his thoughts of blood ! blood ! blood ! 
He approached the small bay and perceived that there 
was a female at the mouth of the cave — nearer and 
nearer, and he was certain that it was his Clara — her 
name was on his lips when he heard the two shots 
fired one after another by Hawkhurst — he saw the 
retreat and fall of Francisco— when, madness to be- 
hold ! he perceived Clara rush forward, and there lay 
the young man supported by her, and with his head 
upon her bosom — could he believe what he saw — 
could she really be his betrothed. Yes, there she 
was, supporting the handsome figure of a young man, 
and that man a pirate — she had even put her hand 



222 THE CAICOS. 



into his vest, and was now watching over his reviving 
form. Edward could bear no more ; he covered his 
eyes, and now, maddened with jealousy, in a voice 
of thunder, he called out — 

" Give way, my lads ! for your lives, give way ! " 
The gig was within half-a-dozen strokes of the 
oar from the beach, and Clara, unconscious of wrong, 
had just taken the packet of papers from Francisco's 
vest, when Hawkhurst made his appearance from 
behind the rocks which separated the two little sandy 
coves. Francisco had recovered his breath, and, per- 
ceiving the approach of Hawkhurst, he sprang upon 
his feet to recover his musket; but, before he could 
succeed, Hawkhurst had closed in with him, and a 
short and dreadful struggle ensued. It would soon 
have terminated fatally to Francisco, for the superior 
strength of Hawkhurst had enabled him to bear down 
the body of his opponent with his knee, and he was 
fast strangling him by twisting his handkerchief round 
his throat, while Clara shrieked, and attempted in 
vain to tear the pirate from him. As the prostrate 
Francisco was fast blackening into a corse, and the 
maiden screamed for pity, and became frantic in her 
efforts for his rescue, the boat dashed high up on the 
sand ; and, with the bound of a maddened tiger, 
Edward sprang upon Hawkhurst, tearing him down 

tk 



THE CAICOS. 223 



on his back, and severing his wrist with his sword- 
blade until his hold of Francisco was relaxed, and 
he wrestled in his own defence. 

" Seize him, my lads ! " said Edward, pointing with 
his left hand to Hawkhurst ; as with his sword directed 
to the body of Francisco he bitterly continued, "this 
victim is mine!''' But, whatever were his intentions, 
thev were frustrated by Clara's recognition, who 
shrieked out — Si My Edward ! w sprang into his arms, 
and was immediately in a state of insensibility. 

The seamen who had secured Hawkhurst looked 
upon the scene with curious astonishment — while 
Edward waited with mingled feelings of impatience 
and doubt for Claras recovery — he wished to be 
assured by her that he was mistaken, and he turned 
again and again from her lace to that of Francisco, 
who was fast recovering. During this painful suspense, 
Hawkhurst was bound, and made to sit down. 

" Edward ! dear Edward ! " said Clara, at last, in 
a faint voice, clinging more closely to him ; " and am 
I then rescued by thee, dearest?" 

Edward felt the appeal ; but his jealousy had not 
yet subsided. 

"Who is that, Clara?" said he, sternly. 

" It is Francisco. No pirate, Edward — but my 
preserver." 



224 THE CAICOS. 



" Ha, ha!" — laughed Hawkhurst, with a bitter 
sneer, for he perceived how matters stood. 

Edward Templemore turned towards him with an 
inquiring look. 

" Ha, ha ! " continued Hawkhurst ; " why, he is 
the captain's son. No pirate, eh? Well, what will 
women not swear to, to save those they dote upon." 

"If the captain's son," said Edward, "why were 
you contending?" 

"Because just now I shot his scoundrel father." 

"Edward!" said Clara, solemnly, "this is no time 
for explanation, but, as I hope for mercy, what I 
have said is true ; believe not that villain." 

" Yes," said Francisco, who was now sitting up, 
"believe him when he says that he shot the captain, 
for that is true ; but, sir, if you value your own peace 
of mind, believe nothing to the prejudice of that young 
lady." 

" I hardly know what to believe," muttered Edward 
Templemore ; " but, as the lady says, this is no time 
for explanation. With your permission, madam," said 
he to Clara, "my coxswain will see you in safety on 
board of the schooner, or the other vessel, if you prefer 
it; my duty will not allow me to accompany you." 

Clara darted a reproachful yet fond look on Edward, 
as, with swimming eyes, she was led by the coxswain 



THE CAICOS. 225 



to the boat which had been joined by the launch of 
the Comus, the crew of which were, with their officers, 
wading to the beach. The men of the gig remained 
until they had given Hawkhurst and Francisco in 
charge of the other seamen, and then shoved off with 
Clara for the schooner. Edward Templemore gave 
one look at the gig as it conveyed Clara on board, and, 
ordering Hawkhurst and Francisco to be taken to the 
launch, and a guard to be kept over them, went up, with 
the remainder of the men, in pursuit of the pirates. 

During the scene we have described, the other boats 
of the men-of-war had landed on the island, and the 
Avenger's crew, deprived of their leaders, and scattered 
in every direction, were many of them slain or captured. 
In about two hours it was supposed that the majority 
of the pirates had been accounted for, and the prisoners 
being now very numerous, it was decided that the 
boats should return with them to the Comus, the captain 
of which vessel, as commanding-officer, would then 
issue orders as to their future proceedings. 

The captured pirates, when mustered on the deck 
of the Comus, amounted to nearly sixty, out of which 
number one half were those who had been sent on 
shore wounded, and had surrendered without resistance. 
Of killed there were fifteen; and it was conjectured 
that as many more had been drowned in the boat 



226 THE CAICOS. 



when she was sunk by the shot from the carronade 
of the launch. Although, by the account given by 
the captured pirates, the majority were secured, yet 
there was reason to suppose that some were still left 
on the island concealed in the caves. 

As the captain of the Comus had orders to return 
as soon as possible, he decided to sail immediately for 
Port Royal with the prisoners, leaving the Enterprise 
to secure the remainder, if there were any, and recover 
any thing of value which might be left in the wreck 
of the Avenger, and then to destroy her. 

With the usual celerity of the service these orders 
were obeyed. The pirates, among whom Francisco 
was included, were secured, the boats hoisted up, and, 
in half an hour, the Comus displayed her ensign, and 
made all sail on a wind, leaving Edward Templemore, 
with the Enterprise, at the back of the reef, to perform 
the duties entailed upon him; and Clara, who was on 
board of the schooner, to remove the suspicion and 
jealousy which had arisen in the bosom of her lover. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE TRIAL. 

In a week, the Comus arrived at Port Royal, and 
the captain went up to the Penn to inform the admiral 
of the successful result of the expedition. 

" Thank God," said the admiral, " we have caught 
these villains at last: a little hanging will do them 
no harm. The captain, you say, was drowned ? " 

" So it is reported, sir," replied captain Manly ; 
"he was in the last boat which left the schooner, and 
she was sunk by a shot from the launch." 

" I am sorry for that ; the death was too good for 
him. However, we must make an example of the 
rest : they must be tried by the Admiralty Court, 
which has the jurisdiction of the high seas. Send 
them on shore, Manly, and we wash our hands of 
them." 

"Very good, sir; but there are still some left on 
the island, we have reason to believe; and the Enter- 
prise is in search of them." 

" By the by, did Templemore find his lady ?" 



228 THE TRIAL. 



" Oh, yes, sir ; and — all 's right, I believe ; but I 
had very little to say with him on the subject." 

" Humph ! " replied the admiral, " I am glad to 
hear it. Well, send them on shore, Manly, to the 
proper authorities. If any more be found, they must 
be hung afterwards when Templemore brings them 
in. I am more pleased at having secured these 
scoundrels than if we had taken a French frigate." 

About three weeks after this conversation, the 
secretary reported to the admiral that the Enterprise 
had made her number outside ; but that she was 
becalmed, and would not probably be in until the 
evening. 

" That -0 a pity," replied the admiral ; " for the 
pirates are to be tried this morning. He may have 
more of them on board." 

"Very true, sir; but the trial will hardly be over 
to-day: the judge will not be in court till one o'clock 
at the soonest." 

"It's of little consequence, certainly; as it is, they 
are so many that they must be hanged by divisions. 
However, as he is within signal distance, let them 
telegraph ' Pirates now on trial.' He can pull on 
shore in his gig, if he pleases." 

It was about noon on the same day that the pirates, 
and among them Francisco, escorted by a strong guard, 



THE TRIAL. 229 



were conducted to the Court House, and placed at 
the bar. The Court House was crowded to excess, 
for the interest excited was intense. 

Many of them who had been wounded in the attack 
upon the property of Don Cumanos, and afterwards 
captured, had died in their confinement. Still forty- 
five were placed at the bar; and their picturesque 
costume, their bearded faces, and the atrocities which 
they had committed, created in those present a sen- 
sation of anxiety mingled with horror and indignation. 

Two of the youngest amongst them had been per- 
mitted to turn king's evidence. They had been on 
board of the Avenger but a few months; still their 
testimony as to the murder of the crews of three 
West India ships, and the attack upon the property 
of Don Cumanos, was quite sufficient to condemn 
the remainder. 

Much time was necessarily expended in going through 
the forms of the court; in the pirates answering to 
their various names ; and, lastly, in taking down the 
detailed evidence of the above men. It was late 
when the evidence was read over to the pirates; and 
they were asked if they had any thing to offer in 
their defence. The question was repeated by the 
judge; when Hawkhurst was the first to speak. To 
save himself he could scarcely hope ; his only object 



230 THE TRIAL. 



was to prevent Francisco pleading his cause success- 
fully, and escaping the same disgraceful death. 

Hawkhurst declared, that he had been some time 
on board of the Avenger; — but that he had been 
taken out of a vessel and forced to serve against his 
will, as could be proved by the captain's son, who 
stood there (pointing to Francisco), who had been 
in the schooner since her first fitting out: — that he 
had always opposed the captain, who would not part 
with him, because he was the only one on board who 
was competent to navigate the schooner : — that he 
had intended to rise against him, and take the vessel, 
having often stimulated the crew so to do ; and that, 
as the other men, as well as the captain's son, could 
prove, if they chose, he actually was in confinement 
for that attempt when the schooner was entering the 
passage to the Caicos ; and that he was only released 
because he was acquainted with the passage, and 
threatened to be thrown overboard if he did not take 
her in : — that, at every risk, he had run her on the 
rocks; and aware that the captain would murder him, 
he had shot Cain as he was swimming to the shore, 
as the captain's son could prove ; for he had taxed 
him with it, and he was actually struggling with him 
for life, when the officers and boats' crew separated 
them and made them both prisoners: — that he hardly 



THE TRIAL. 231 



expected that Francisco, the captain's son, would tell 
the truth to save him, as he was his bitter enemy, 
and, in the business at the Magdalen river, which 
had been long planned (for Francisco had been sent 
on shore under the pretence of being wrecked, but, 
in fact, to ascertain where the booty was, and to 
assist the pirates in their attack), Francisco had 
taken that opportunity of putting a bullet through his 
shoulder, which was well known to the other pirates, 
and Francisco could not venture to deny. He trusted 
that the court would order the torture to Francisco, 
and then he would probably speak the truth ; at all 
events let him speak now. 

When Hawkhurst had ceased to address the court, 
there was an anxious pause for some minutes. The 
day was fast declining, and most parts of the spacious 
Court House were already deeply immersed in gloom ; 
while the light, sober, solemn, and almost sad, gleamed 
upon the savage and reckless countenances of the 
prisoners at the bar. The sun had sunk down behind 
a mass of heavy, yet gorgeous clouds, fringing their 
edges with molten gold. Hawkhurst had spoken 
fluently and energetically, and there was an appear- 
ance of almost honesty in his coarse and deep-toned 
voice. Even the occasional oaths with which his 
speech was garnished, but which we have omitted, 



23*2 THE TRIAL. 



seemed to be pronounced more in sincerity than in 
blasphemy, and gave a more forcible impression to his 
narrative. 

We have said, that when he concluded there was 
a profound silence; and amid the fast-falling shadows 
of the evening, those who were present began to feel, 
for the first time, the awful importance of the drama 
before them, the number of lives which were trembling 
upon the verge of existence, depending upon the single 
word of " Guilty." This painful silence, this harrow- 
ing suspense, was at last broken by a restrained sob 
from a female ; but, owing to the obscurity involving 
the body of the court, her person could not be distin- 
guished. The wail of woman so unexpected — for who 
could there be of that sex interested in the fate of 
these desperate men ? — touched the heart of its auditors, 
and appeared to sow the first seeds of compassionate 
and humane feeling among those, who had hitherto 
expressed and felt nothing but indignation towards 
the prisoners. 

The judge upon the bench, the counsel at the bar, 
and the jury impannelled in their box, felt the force 
of the appeal; and it softened down the evil impres- 
sion created by the address of Hawkhurst against the 
youthful Francisco. The eyes of all were now directed 
towards the one doubly accused — accused not only 



THE TRIAL. 233 



by the public prosecutor, but even by his associate in 
crime, — and the survey was favourable. They acknow- 
ledged that he was one whose personal qualities might 
indeed challenge the love of woman in his pride, and 
her lament in his disgrace ; and, as their regard was 
directed towards him, the sun, which had been obscured, 
now pierced through a break in the mass of clouds, 
and threw a portion of his glorious beams from a 
window opposite, upon him, and him alone, while 
all the other prisoners who surrounded him were 
buried more or less in deep shadow. It was at once 
evident that his associates were bold yet commonplace 
villains — men who owed their courage, their only 
virtue, perhaps to their habits, to their physical organ- 
isation, or the influence of those around them. They 
were mere human butchers, with the only adjunct, 
that now that the trade was to be exercised upon 
themselves, they could bear it with a sullen apathy — 
a feeling how far removed from true fortitude ! Even 
Hawkhurst, though more commanding than the rest, 
with all his daring mien and scowl of defiance, looked 
nothing more than a distinguished ruffian. With the 
exception of Francisco, the prisoners had wholly neg- 
lected their personal appearance ; and in them the 
squalid and sordid look of the mendicant seemed 
allied with the ferocity of the murderer. 



234 THE TRIAL 



Francisco was not only an exception, but formed 
a beautiful contrast to the others; and, as the evening 
beams lighted up his figure, he stood at the bar, if 
not with all the splendour of a hero of romance, 
certainly a most picturesque and interesting personage, 
elegantly, if not richly, attired. 

The low sobs at intervals repeated, as if impossible 
to be checked, seemed to rouse and call him to a sense 
of the important part which he was called upon to act in 
the tragedy there and then performing. His face was 
pale, yet composed ; his mien at once proud and sorrow- 
ful ; his eye was bright, yet his glance was not upon those 
in court, but far away, fixed, like an eagle's, upon the 
gorgeous beams of the setting sun, which glowed upon 
him through the window that was in front of him. 

At last the voice of Francisco was heard, and all 
in that wide court started at the sound — deep, full, 
and melodious as the evening chimes. The ears of 
those present had, in the profound silence, but just 
recovered from the harsh, deep-toned, and barbarous 
idiom of Hawkhurst's address; when the clear, silvery, 
yet manly, voice of Francisco riveted their attention. 
The jury stretched forth their heads, the counsel 
and all in court turned anxiously round towards the 
prisoner, even the judge held up his forefinger, to 
intimate his wish for perfect silence. 



THE TRIAL. 235 



" My lord and gentlemen," commenced Francisco ; 
" when I first found myself in this degrading situa- 
tion, I had not thought to have spoken or to have 
uttered one word in my defence. He that has just 
now accused me has recommended the torture to be 
applied ; he has already had his wish, for what torture 
can be more agonizing than to find myself where I now 
am ? So tortured, indeed, have I been through a short 
yet wretched life, that I have often felt that any thing 
short of self-destruction which would release me, would 
be a blessing: but within these few minutes I have 
been made to acknowledge that I have still feelings in 
unison with my fellow-creatures; that I am not yet 
fit for death, and all too young, too unprepared to 
die; for who would unreluctant leave this world while 
there is such a beauteous sky to love and look upon, 
or while there is one female breast who holds him 
innocent, and has evinced her pity for his misfortunes ? 
Yes, my lord ; mercy and pity, and compassion, have 
not yet fled from earth ; and, therefore, do I feel I 
am too young to die. God forgive me! but I thought 
they had — for never have they been shewn in those 
with whom, by fate, I have been connected ; and it 
has been from this conviction that I have so often 
longed for death. And now, may that righteous God, 
who judges us not here, but hereafter, enable me to 



236 THE TRIAL. 



prove that I do not deserve an ignominious punish- 
ment from my fellow-sinners — men ! 

" My lord, I know not the subtleties of the laws, 
nor the intricacy of pleadings. First, let me assert 
that I have never robbed; but I have restored unto 
the plundered : I have never murdered ; but I have 
stood between the assassin's knife and his victim. 
For this have I been hated and reviled by my asso- 
ciates, and for this is my life now threatened by those 
laws, against which I never have offended. The man 
who last addressed you has told you that I am the 
pirate-captain's son, It is the assertion of the only 
irreclaimable and utterly remorseless villain among 
those who now stand before you to be judged — the 
assertion of one, whose glory, whose joy, whose solace, 
has been blood-shedding. 

" My lord, I had it from the mouth of the captain 
himself, previous to his murder by that man, that I was 
not his son. His son ! thank God, not so. Connected 
with him and in his power I was most certainly and 
most incomprehensibly. Before he died, he delivered 
me a packet that would have told me who I am ; but 
I have lost it, and deeply have I felt the loss. One 
only fact I gained from him whom they would call 
my father, which is, that with his own hand he slew, 
yes, basely slew, my mother." 



THE TRIAL. 237 



The address of Francisco was here interrupted by 
a low deep groan of anguish, which startled the 
whole audience. It was now quite dark, and the 
judge ordered the court to be lighted previous to 
the defence being continued. The impatience and 
anxiety of those present were shewn in low murmurs 
of communication, until the lights were brought in. 
The word "Silence!" from the judge produced an 
immediate obedience, and the prisoner was ordered 
to proceed. 

Francisco then continued his address, commencing 
with the remembrances of his earliest childhood. As 
he warmed with his subject, he became more eloquent ; 
his action became energetical without violence ; and 
the pallid and modest youth gradually grew into the 
impassioned and inspired orator. He recapitulated 
rapidly, yet distinctly and with terrible force, all the 
startling events in his fearful life. There was truth 
in the tones of his voice — there was conviction in 
his animated countenance — there was innocence in his 
open and expressive brow. 

All who heard believed ; and scarcely had he con- 
cluded his address, when the jury appeared impatient 
to rise and give their verdict in his favour. But the 
judge stood up, and addressing the jury, told them 
that it was his most painful duty to remind them that 



2-38 THE TRIAL. 



as yet they had heard but assertion, beautiful and 
almost convincing assertion truly; but still it was not 
proof. 

" Alas ! " observed Francisco, " what evidence can 
I bring forward, except the evidence of those around 
me at the bar, which will not be admitted? Can I 
recall the dead from the grave? can I expect those 
who have been murdered to rise again to assert my 
innocence ? can I expect that Don Cumanos will 
appear from distant leagues to give evidence in my 
behalf ? Alas ! he knows not how I am situated, or 
he would have flown to my succour. No — no; not 
even can I expect that the sweet Spanish maiden, 
the last to whom I offered my protection, will appear 
in such a place as this, to meet the bold gaze of 
hundreds ! " 

" She is here ! " replied a manly voice ; and a 
passage was made through the crowd : and Clara, 
supported by Edward Templemore, dressed in his 
uniform, was ushered into the box for the witnesses. 
The appearance of the fair girl, who looked round 
her with alarm, created a great sensation. As soon 
as she was sufficiently composed, she was sworn, and 
gave her evidence as to Francisco's behaviour during 
the time that she was a prisoner on board of the 
Avenger. She produced the packet which had saved 



THE TRIAL. 239 



the life of Francisco, and substantiated a great part 
of his defence. She extolled his kindness and his 
generosity ; and when she had concluded, every one 
asked of himself, Can this young man be a pirate and 
a murderer ? The reply was, " It is impossible." 

" My lord," said Edward Templemore, " I request 
permission to ask the prisoner a question. When I 
was on board of the wreck of the Avenger, I found 
this book floating in the cabin. I wish to ask the 
prisoner, whether, as that young lady has informed 
me, it is his ? " And Edward Templemore produced 
the Bible. 

"It is mine," replied Francisco. 

" May I ask you by what means it came into your 
possession ? " 

" It is the only relic left of one who is now 
no more. It was the consolation of my murdered 
mother — it has since been mine. Give it to me, 
sir ; I may probably need its support now more 
than ever." 

" Was your mother murdered, say you ? " cried 
Edward Templemore, with much agitation. 

" I have already said so : and I now repeat it." 

The judge again rose, and recapitulated the evi- 
dence to the jury. Evidently friendly to Francisco, 
he was obliged to point out to them, that, although 



240 THE TRIAL. 



the evidence of the young lady had produced much 
which might be offered in extenuation, and induce 
him to submit it to His Majesty, in hopes of his 
gracious pardon after condemnation ; yet, that many 
acts in which the prisoner had been involved had 
endangered his life, and no testimony had been brought 
forward to prove that he had not, at one time, acted 
with the pirates, although he might since have repented* 
They would, of course, remember that the evidence 
of the mate, Hawkhurst, was not of any value, and 
must dismiss any impression which it might have made 
against Francisco. At the same time, he had the 
unpleasant duty to point out, that the evidence of 
the Spanish lady was so far prejudicial, that it pointed 
out the good terms subsisting between the young man 
and the pirate-captain. Much as he was interested 
in his fate, he must reluctantly remind the jury, that 
the evidence on the whole was not sufficient to clear 
the prisoner ; and he considered it their duty to 
return a verdict of guilty against all the prisoners at 
the bar." 

" My lord," said Edward Templemore, a few 
seconds after the judge had resumed his seat; "may 
not the contents of this packet, the seal of which I 
have not ventured to break, afford some evidence in 
favour of the prisoner? Have you any objection that 



THE TRIAL. 241 



it should be opened previous to the jury delivering 
their verdict. 

" None," replied the judge ; " but what are its 
supposed contents?" 

" The contents, my lord," replied Francisco, " are 
in the writing of the pirate-captain. He delivered 
that packet into my hands, previous to our quitting 
the schooner, stating that it would inform me who 
were my parents. My lord, in my present situation 
I claim that packet, and refuse that its contents shall 
be read in court. If I am to die an ignominious death, 
at least those who are connected with me shall not 
have to blush at my disgrace, for the secret of my 
parentage shall die with me." 

" Nay — nay ; be ruled by me," replied Edward 
Templemore, with much emotion : " in the narrative, 
the hand-writing of which can be proved by the king's 
evidence, there may be acknowledgement of all you 
have stated, and it will be received as evidence ; will 
it not, my lord?" 

" If the hand- writing is proved, I should think it 
may," replied the judge, "particularly as the lady 
was present when the packet was delivered, and 
heard the captain's assertion. Will you allow it to 
be offered as evidence, young man ? " 

" No, my lord," replied Francisco : " unless I have 



242 THE TRIAL. 



permission first to peruse it myself, I will not have its 
contents divulged, — unless I am sure of an honourable 
acquittal : the jury must deliver their verdict." 

The jury turned round to consult, during which 
Edward Templemore walked to Francisco, accom- 
panied by Clara, to entreat him to allow the packet 
to be opened; but Francisco was firm against both 
their entreaties. At last the foreman of the jury rose 
to deliver the verdict. A solemn and awful silence 
prevailed throughout the court; the suspense was 
painful to a degree. 

" My lord," said the foreman of the jury, " our 
verdict is " 

"Stop, sir!" said Edward Templemore, as he 
clasped one arm round the astonished Francisco, and 
extended the other towards the foreman. " Stop, sir ! 
harm him not! for he is my brother!" 

"And my preserver!" cried Clara, kneeling on the 
other side of Francisco, and holding up her hands in 
supplication. 

" The announcement was electrical ; the foreman 
dropped into his seat ; the judge and whole court 
were in mute astonishment. The dead silence was 
followed by confusion, which, after a time, the judge 
in vain attempted to put a stop to. 

Edward Templemore, Clara, and Francisco, con- 



TFIE TRIAL. 243 



tinued to form the same group; and never was there 
one more beautiful. And now that they were together, 
every one in court perceived the strong resemblance 
between the two young men. 

Francisco's complexion was darker than Edward's, 
from his constant exposure, from infancy, to a tropical 
sun ; but the features of the two were the same. 

It was some time before the judge could obtain 
silence in the court ; and, when it had been obtained, 
he was himself puzzled how to proceed. 

Edward and Francisco, who had exchanged a few 
words; were now standing side by side. 

" My lord," said Edward Templemore, " the pri- 
soner consents that the packet shall be opened." 

" I do," said Francisco, mournfully ; although I 
have but little hope from its contents. Alas ! now 
that I have every thing to live for, — now that I cling 
to life, I feel as if every chance was gone ! The days 
of miracles have passed; and nothing but the miracle 
of the reappearance of the pirate-captain from the 
grave can prove my innocence." 

" He reappears from the grave to prove thine 
innocence, Francisco ! " said a deep hollow voice, 
which startled the whole court, — and most of all 
Hawkhurst and the prisoners at the bar. Still 
more did fear and horror distort their countenances, 



244 THE TRIAL. 



when into the witness-box stalked the giant form of 
Cain. 

But it was no longer the figure which we have 
described in the commencement of this narrative : his 
beard had been removed, and he was pale, wan, and 
emaciated. His sunken eyes — his hollow cheek, and 
a short cough, which interrupted his speech, proved 
that his days were nearly at a close. 

"My lord!" said Cain, addressing the judge, "I 
am the pirate Cain, — and was the captain of the 
Avenger ! Still am I free. I come here voluntarily, 
that I may attest the innocence of that young man ! 
As yet, my hand has not known the manacle, nor my 
feet the gyves ! I am not a prisoner, nor included in 
the indictment ; and at present my evidence is good ! 
None know me in this court, except those whose 
testimony, as prisoners, is unavailing; and therefore, 
to save that boy, and only to save him, I demand 
that I may be sworn." 

The oath was administered, with more than usual 
solemnity. 

" My lord, and gentlemen of the jury, — I have 
been in court since the commencement of the trial, 
and I declare that every word which Francisco has 
uttered in his own defence is true. He is totally 
innocent of any act of piracy or murder, — the packet 



THE TRIAL. 245 



would, indeed, have proved as much ; but in that 
packet there are secrets which I wished to remain 
unknown to all but Francisco; and, rather than it 
should be opened, I have come forward myself. How 
that young officer discovered that Francisco is his 
brother I know not ; but if he also is the son of 
Cecilia Templemore, it is true. But the packet will 
explain all. 

"And now, my lords, that my evidence is received, 
I am content : I have done one good deed before I 
die, and I surrender myself, as a pirate and a foul 
murderer, to justice. True, my life is nearly closed 
— thanks to that villain, there; but I prefer that I 
should meet that death I merit, as an expiation of 
my many deeds of guilt." 

Cain then turned to Hawkhurst, who was close to 
him, but the mate appeared to be in a state of stupor ; 
he had not recovered from his first terror, and still 
imagined the appearance of Cain to be supernatural. 

"Villain!" exclaimed Cain, putting his mouth close 
to Hawkhurst's ear, " double d — d villain ! thou 'It 
die like a dog, and unrevenged ! the boy is safe, and 
I'm alive!" 

"Art thou really living?" said Hawkhurst, recover- 
ing from his fear. 

" Yes, living — yes, flesh and blood ; feel, wretch ! 



246 THE TRIAL. 



feel this arm, and be convinced : thou hast felt the 
power of it before now," continued Cain, sarcastically. 
" x\nd now, my lord, I have done : Francisco, fare 
thee well. I loved thee, and have proved my love. 
Hate not then my memory, and forgive me — yes, 
forgive me when I 'm no more," said Cain, who then 
turned his eyes to the ceiling of the Court House. — 
" Yes, there she is, Francisco ! — there she is ! and 
see/' cried he, extending both arms above his head, 
" she smiles upon — yes, Francisco, your sainted mother 
smiles and pardons " 

The sentence was not finished ; for Hawkhurst, 
when Cain's arms were upheld, perceived his knife 
in his girdle, and, with the rapidity of thought, he 
drew it out, and passed it through the body of the 
pirate-captain. 

Cain fell heavily on the floor, while the court was 
again in confusion. Hawkhurst was secured, and Cain 
raised from the ground. 

" I thank thee, Hawkhurst ! " said Cain, in an ex- 
piring voice ; " another murder thou hast to answer 
for: and you have saved me from the disgrace, not 
of the gallows, but of the gallows in thy company. 
Francisco, boy, farewell!" And Cain groaned deeply, 
and expired. 

Thus perished the renouned pirate-captain, who, 



THE TRIAL. 247 



in his life, had shed so much blood, and whose death 
produced another murder — Blood for Blood ! 

The body was removed ; and it now remained but 
for the jury to give their verdict. All the prisoners 
were found guilty, with the exception of Francisco, 
who left the dock, accompanied by his newly found 
brother, and the congratulations of every individual 
who could gain access to him. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Our first object will be to explain to the reader 
by what means Edward Templemore was induced to 
surmise that in Francisco, whom he had considered 
as a rival, he had found a brother ; and also to account 
for the reappearance of the pirate Cain. 

In pursuance of his orders, Edward Templemore 
had proceeded on board of the wreck of the Avenger ; 
and while his men were employed in collecting articles 
of great value which were on board of her, he had 
descended into the cabin, which was partly under 
water. Here he had picked up a book floating near the 
lockers, and, on examination, found it to be a Bible. 

Surprised at seeing such a book on board of a 
pirate, he had taken it with him when he returned to 
the Enterprise, and had shewn it to Clara, who imme- 
diately recognized it as the property of Francisco. The 
book was saturated with the salt water, and as Edward 
mechanically turned over the pages, he referred to the 
title-page to see if there was any name upon it. There 



CONCLUSION. 249 



was not: but he observed that the blank or fly-leaf 
next to the binding had been pasted down, and that 
there was writing on the other side. In its present 
state it was easily detached from the cover ; and then, 
to his astonishment, he read the name of Cecilia 
Templemore — his own mother. He knew well the 
history ; how he had been saved, and his mother and 
brother supposed to be lost; and it may readily be 
imagined how great was his anxiety to ascertain by 
what means her Bible had come into the possession 
of Francisco. He dared not think Francisco was his 
brother — that he was so closely connected with one 
he still supposed to be a pirate : but the circumstance 
was possible ; and, although he had intended to have 
remained a few days longer, he now listened to the 
entreaties of Clara, whose peculiar position on board 
was only to be justified by the peculiar position from 
which she had been rescued, and, returning that 
evening to the wreck, he set fire to her, and then 
made all sail for Port Royal. 

Fortunately he arrived, as we have stated, on the 
day of the trial; and, as soon as the signal was made 
by the admiral, he immediately manned his gig, and, 
taking Clara with him, in case her evidence might 
be of use, arrived at the Court House when the trial 
was about half over. 



250 CONCLUSION. 



In our last chapter but one, we stated that Cain 
had been wounded by Hawkhurst, when he was swim- 
ming on shore, and had sunk : the ball had entered 
his chest, and passed through his lungs. The contest 
between Hawkhurst and Francisco, and their capture 
by Edward, had taken place on the other side of the 
ridge of rocks, in the adjacent cove; and, although 
Francisco had seen Cain disappear, and concluded 
that he was dead, it was not so ; he had again risen 
above the water, and dropping his feet and finding 
bottom, he contrived to crawl out, and wade into a 
cave adjacent, where he laid down to die. 

But in this cave there was one of the Avenger's 
boats, two of the pirates, mortally wounded, and the 
four Kroumen, who had concealed themselves there 
with the intention of taking no part in the conflict, and, 
as soon as it became dark, of making their escape in 
the boat, which they had hauled up dry into the cave. 

Cain staggered in, recovered the dry land, and fell. 
Pompey, the Krouman, perceiving his condition, went 
to his assistance, and bound up his wound, and the 
staunching of the blood soon revived the pirate-captain. 
The other pirates died unaided. 

Although the island was searched in every direction, 
this cave, from the water flowing into it, escaped the 
vigilance of the British seamen; and when they re- 



CONCLUSION. 251 



embarked, with the majority of the pirates captured, 
Cain and the Kroumen were undiscovered. 

As soon as it was dark, Cain informed them of 
his intentions ; and, although the Kroumen would, 
probably, have left him to his fate, yet, as they required 
his services to know how to steer to some other island, 
he was assisted into the stern-sheets, and the boat was 
backed out of the cave. 

By the directions of Cain, they passed through the 
passage between the great island and the northern 
Caique, and before daylight were far away from any 
chance of capture. 

Cain had now, to a certain degree, recovered; and, 
knowing that they were in the channel of the small 
traders, he pointed out to the Kroumen that, if sup- 
posed to be pirates, they would inevitably be punished, 
although not guilty, and that they must pass off as 
the crew of a small coasting-vessel which had been 
wrecked. He then, with the assistance of Pompey, 
cut off his beard as close as he could, and arranged 
his dress in a more European style. They had neither 
water nor provisions, and were exposed to a vertical 
sun. Fortunately for them, and still more fortunately 
for Francisco, on the second day they were picked 
up by an American brig bound to Antigua. 

Cain narrated his fictitious disasters, and said 



252 CONCLUSION. 



nothing about his wound; the neglect of which would 
certainly have occasioned his death a very few days 
after he appeared at the trial, had he not fallen by 
the malignity of Hawkhurst. 

Anxious to find his way to Port Royal — for he was 
indifferent as to his own life, and only wished to save 
Francisco — he was overjoyed to meet a small schooner, 
trading between the islands, bound to Port Royal. In 
that vessel he obtained a passage for himself and the 
Kroumen, and had arrived three days previous to the 
trial, and during that time had remained concealed 
until the day that the Admiralty Court assembled. 

It may be as well here to remark, that Cain's 
reason for not wishing the packet to be opened, was, 
that among the other papers relative to Francisco, 
were directions for the recovery of tl)e treasure which 
he had concealed, and which, of course, he wished 
to be communicated to Francisco alone. 

We will leave the reader to imagine what passed 
between Francisco and Edward after the discovery of 
their kindred, and proceed to state the contents of 
the packet, which the twin brothers now opened in 
the presence of Clara alone. 

We must, however, condense the matter, which 
was very voluminous. — It stated that Cain, whose 
real name was Charles Osborne, had sailed, in a fine 



CONCLUSION. 253 



schooner from Bilboa, for the coast of Africa, to pro- 
cure a cargo of slaves ; and had been out about 
twenty-four hours, when the crew perceived a boat, 
apparently with no one in her, floating about a mile 
a-head of them. The water was then smooth, and 
the vessel had but little way. As soon as they came 
up with the boat, they lowered down their skiff to 
examine her. 

The men sent in the skiff soon returned, towing 
the boat alongside. Lying at the bottom of the boat 
were found several men, almost dead, and reduced 
to skeletons ; and in the stern-sheets a negro- woman, 
with a child at her breast, and a white female, in 
the last state of exhaustion. 

Osborne was then a gay and unprincipled man, 
but not a hardened villain and murderer, as he after- 
wards became ; he had compassion and feeling — they 
were all taken on board the schooner : some recovered 
— others were too much exhausted. Among those 
restored was Cecilia Templemore and the infant, who 
at first had been considered quite dead ; but the negro- 
woman, exhausted by the demands of her nursling 
and her privations, expired as she was being removed 
from the boat. A goat, that fortunately was on board, 
proved a substitute for the negress ; and, before 
Osborne had arrived off the coast, the child had 



254 CONCLUSION. 



recovered its health and vigour, and the mother her 
extreme beauty. 

We must now pass over a considerable portion of 
the narrative. Osborne was impetuous in his passions, 
and Cecilia Templemore became his victim. He had, 
indeed, afterwards quieted her qualms of conscience 
by a pretended marriage, when he arrived at the 
Brazils with his cargo of human flesh. But that was 
little alleviation of her sufferings ; she, who had been 
indulged in every luxury, who had been educated 
with the greatest care, was now lost for ever — an 
outcast from the society to which she could never 
hope to return, and associating with those she both 
dreaded and despised. She passed her days and her 
nights in tears; and had soon more cause for sorrow 
from the brutal treatment she received from Osborne, 
who had been her destroyer. Her child was her only 
solace ; but for him, and the fear of leaving him to 
the demoralising influence of those about him, she 
would have laid down and died; but she lived for 
him — for him attempted to recal Osborne from his 
career of increasing guilt — bore meekly with reproaches 
and with blows. At last Osborne changed his nefarious 
life for one of deeper guilt : he became a pirate, and 
still carried with him Cecilia and her child. 

This was the climax of her misery : she now wasted 



CONCLUSION. 255 



from day to day, and grief would soon have terminated 
her existence, had it not been hastened by the cruelty 
of Cain, who, upon an expostulation on her part, fol- 
lowed up with a denunciation of the consequences of 
his guilty career, struck her with such violence that she 
sank under the blow. She expired with a prayer that 
her child might be rescued from a life of guilt ; and, 
when the then repentant Cain promised what he never 
did perform, she blessed him, too, before she died. 

Such was the substance of the narrative, as far as it 
related to the unfortunate mother of these two young 
men, who, when they had concluded, sat, hand-in-hand, 
in mournful silence. This, however, was soon broken 
by the innumerable questions asked by Edward of his 
brother, as to what he could remember of their ill-fated 
parent, which were followed up by the history of 
Francisco's eventful life. 

" And the treasure, Edward," said Francisco — " I 
cannot take possession of it." 

" No, nor shall you either," replied Edward ; " it 
belongs to the captors, and must be shared as prize- 
money. You will never touch one penny of it; but 
I shall, I trust, pocket a very fair proportion of it ! 
However, keep this paper, as it is addressed to you." 

The admiral had been made acquainted with all the 
particulars of this eventful trial, and had sent a mes- 



256 CONCLUSION. 



sage, to Edward requesting that, as soon as he and his 
brother could make it convenient, he would be happy 
to see them at the Penn, as well as the daughter of the 
Spanish governor, whom he must consider as being 
under his protection during the time that she remained 
at Port Royal. This offer was gladly accepted by 
Clara; and, on the second day after the trial, they 
proceeded up to the Penn. Clara and Francisco were 
introduced, and apartments and suitable attendance 
provided for the former. 

" Templemore," said the admiral, " I 'm afraid I 
must send you away to Porto Rico, to assure the 
governor of his daughter's safety." 

" I would rather you would send some one else, 
sir, and I '11 assure her happiness in the mean time." 

" What ! by marrying her ? Humph ! you 've a 
good opinion of yourself! Wait till you're a captain, 
sir." 

" I hope I shall not have to wait long, sir," replied 
Edward, demurely. 

" By the by," said the admiral, " did you not say 
you have notice of treasure concealed in those islands ? " 

" My brother has : I have not." 

" We must send for it. I think we must send you, 
Edward. Mr. Francisco, you must go with hirn." 

" With pleasure, sir," replied Francisco, laughing ; 



CONCLUSION. 257 



"but I think I 'd rather wait till Edward is a captain ! 
His wife and his fortune ought to come together. I 
think I shall not deliver up my papers until the day 
of his marriage ?" 

" Upon my word," said Captain Manly, " I wish, 
Templemore, you had your commission, for there 
seems to be so much depending on it — the young 
lady's happiness, my share of the prize-money, and 
the admiral's eighth. Really, admiral, it becomes a 
common cause ; and I 'm sure he deserves it ! " 

" So do I, Manly," replied the admiral ; " and to 
prove that I have thought so, here comes Mr. Hadley 
with it in his hand : it only wants one little thing to 
complete it " 

" Which is your signature, admiral, I presume ; " 
replied Captain Manly, taking a pen full of ink, and 
presenting it to his senior officer. 

"Exactly!" replied the admiral, scribbling at the 
bottom of the paper ; " and now — it does not want 
that. Captain Templemore, I wish you joy!" 

Edward made a very low obeisance, as his flushed 
countenance indicated his satisfaction. 

" I cannot give commissions, admiral," said Fran- 
cisco, presenting a paper in return ; " but I can give 
information — and you will find it not unimportant — 
for the treasure appears of great value." 



258 CONCLUSION. 



" God bless my soul ! Manly, you must start at 
daylight!" exclaimed the admiral; "why, there is 
enough to load your sloop! There! — read it! — and 
then I will write your orders, and enclose a copy of 
it, for fear of accident." 

" That was to have been my fortune," said Fran- 
cisco, with a grave smile; "but I would not touch it." 

« Very right, bo} ! — a fine principle ! But we are 
not quite so particular," said the admiral. "Now, 
where 's the young lady? let her know that dinner's 
on the table." 

A fortnight after this conversation, Captain Manly 
returned with the treasure ; and the Enterprise, com- 
manded by another officer, returned from Porto Rico, 
with a letter from the governor in reply to one from 
the admiral, in which the rescue of his daughter by 
Edward had been communicated. The letter was full 
of thanks to the admiral, and compliments to Edward ; 
and, what was of more importance, it sanctioned the 
union of the young officer with his daughter, with a 
dozen boxes of gold doubloons. 

About six weeks after the above-mentioned impor- 
tant conversation, Mr. Witherington, who had been 
reading a voluminous packet of letters, in his breakfast- 
room in Finsbury Square, pulled his bell so violently 
that old Jonathan thought his master must be but 



CONCLUSION. 259 



of his senses. This, however, did not induce him to 
accelerate his solemn and measured pace ; and he made 
his appearance at the door, as usual, without speaking. 

" Why don't that fellow answer the bell ? " cried 
Mr. Witherington. 

" I am here, sir," said Jonathan, solemnly. 

" Well, so you are ! but, confound you ! — you come 
like the ghost of a butler ! Bu who do you think 
is coming here, Jonathan?" 

" I cannot tell, sir." 

" But I can ! — you solemn old ! Edward 's 

coming here ! — coming home directly ! " 

"Is he to sleep in his old room, sir?" replied the 
imperturbable butler. 

" No ! the best bed-room ! Why, Jonathan he is 
married — he is made a captain! — Captain Temple- 
more ! " 

« Yes— sir." 

"And he has found his brother, Jonathan; his 
twin-brother ! " 

" Yes— sir." 

"His brother Francis — that was supposed to be 
lost! But it's a long story, Jonathan! — and a very 
wonderful one !— his poor mother has long been 
dead!" 

" In calo quies" said Jonathan ; casting up his eyes. 



260 CONCLUSION. 



" But his brother has turned up again." 

M Resurgam, ! " said the butler. 

"They will be here in ten days — so let every 
thing be in readiness, Jonathan. God bless my soul!" 
continued the old gentleman, " I hardly know what 
I 'm about. It 's a Spanish girl, Jonathan ! " 

"What is, sir?" 

"What is, sir? — why, Captain Templemore's wife, 
and he was tried as a pirate ! " 

"Who, sir?" 

"Who, sir?" — why, Francis, his brother! Jona- 
than, you 're a stupid old fellow ! " 

"Have you any further commands, sir?" 

" No — no ! — there — that '11 do — go away." 

And in three weeks after this conversation, Captain 
and Mrs. Templemore, and his brother Frank, were 
established in the house, to the great delight of 
Mr. Witherington ; for he had long been tired of 
solitude and old Jonathan. 

The twin-brothers were a comfort to him in his 
old age : they closed his eyes in peace — they divided 
his blessing and his large fortune — and thus ends 
our history of The Pirate ! 



THE THREE CUTTERS 



THE THREE CUTTERS, 



CHAPTER I. 

CUTTER THE FIRST. 



Reader, have you ever been at Plymouth? If 
you have, your eye must have dwelt with ecstasy 
upon the beautiful property of the Earl of Mount 
Edgcumbe : if you have not been at Plymouth, the 
sooner that you go there, the better. At Mount 
Edgcumbe you will behold the finest timber in exist- 
ence, towering up to the summits of the hills, and 
feathering down to the shingle on the beach. And 
from this lovely spot you will witness one of the most 
splendid panoramas in the world. You will see — I 
hardly know what you will not see — you will see 
Ram Head, and Cawsand Bay ; and then you will 
see the Breakwater, and Drake's Island, and the 
Devil's Bridge below you; and the town of Plymouth 
and its fortifications, and the Hoe ; and then you will 
come to the Devil's Point, round which the tide runs 
devilish strong ; and then you will see the New Vic- 



264 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

tualling Office, — about which Sir James Gordon used 
to stump all day, and take a pinch of snuff from every 
man who carried a box, which all were delighted to 
give, and he was delighted to receive, proving how 
much pleasure may be communicated merely by a 
pinch of snuff — and then you will see Mount Wise 
and Mutton Cove; the town of Devonport, with its 
magnificent dock-yard and arsenals, North Corner, 
and the way which leads to Saltash. And you will 
see ships building and ships in ordinary; and ships 
repairing and ships fitting; and hulks and convict- 
ships, and the guard-ship ; ships ready to sail and 
ships under sail ; besides lighters, man-of-war's boats, 
dock-yard boats, bum-boats, and shore-boats. In short, 
there is a great deal to see at Plymouth besides the 
sea itself: but what I particularly wish now, is, that 
you will stand at the battery of Mount Edgcumbe and 
look into Barn Pool below you, and there you will 
see, lying at single anchor, a cutter; and you may 
also see, by her pendant and ensign, that she is a yacht. 
Of all the amusements entered into by the nobility 
and gentry of our island, there is not one so manly, 
so exciting, so patriotic, or so national, as yacht- 
sailing. It is peculiar to England, not only from 
our insular position and our fine harbours, but because 
it requires a certain degree of energy and a certain 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 265 

amount of income rarely to be found elsewhere. It 
has been wisely fostered by our sovereigns, who have 
felt that the security of the kingdom is increased by 
every man being more or less a sailor, or connected 
with the nautical profession, It is an amusement 
of the greatest importance to the country ; as it has 
much improved our ship building and our ship 
fitting, while it affords employment to our seamen 
and shipwrights. But if I were to say all that I could 
say in praise of yachts, I should never advance with 
my narrative. I shall therefore drink a bumper to 
the health of Admiral Lord Yarborough and the 
Yacht Club, and proceed. 

You observe that this yacht is cutter-rigged, and 
that she sits gracefully on the smooth water. She is 
just heaving up her anchor ; her foresail is loose, all 
ready to cast her — in a few minutes she will be under 
weigh. You see that there are some ladies sitting at 
the taffrail; and there are five haunches of venison 
hanging over the stern. Of all amusements give me 
yachting. But we must go on board. The deck, 
you observe, is of narrow deal planks as white as snow ; 
the guns are of polished brass ; the bitts and binnacles 
of mahogany ; she is painted with taste ; and all the 
mouldings are gilded. There is nothing wanting ; and 
yet how clear and how unencumbered are her decks ! 



266 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

Let us go below. This is the ladies' cabin : can any 
thing be more tasteful or elegant ? is it not luxurious ? 
and, although so small, does not its very confined 
space astonish you, when you view so many comforts 
so beautifully arranged? This is the dining-room, 
and where the gentlemen repair. What can be 
more complete or recherche? and just peep into their 
state-rooms and bed-places. Here is the steward's 
room and the beaufet: the steward is squeezing 
lemons for the punch, and there is the champagne 
in ice ; and by the side of the pail, the long-corks 
are ranged up, all ready. Now, let us go forwards ; 
here are the men's berths, not confined as in a man- 
of-war. No ! luxury starts from abaft, and is not 
wholly lost, even at the fore-peak. This is the 
kitchen : is it not admirably arranged ? What a 
multum in parvo ! and how delightful are the fumes 
of the turtle-soup ! At sea we do meet with rough 
weather at times; but, for roughing it out, give me 
a yacht. Now, that I have shewn you round the 
vessel, I must introduce the parties on board. 

You observe that florid, handsome man in white 
trousers and blue jacket, who has a telescope in one 
hand, and is sipping a glass of brandy and water which 
he has just taken off the skylight. That is the owner 
of the vessel, and a member of the Yacht Club. It is 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 267 

Lord B : he looks like a sailor, and he does not 

much belie his looks ; yet I have seen him in his robes 
of state at the opening of the House of Lords. The 
one near to him is Mr. Stewart, a lieutenant in the 
navy. He holds on by the rigging with one hand, 
because, having been actively employed all his life, 
he does not know what to do with hands which have 
nothing in them. He is a protege of Lord B. ; and 
is now on board as sailing-master of the yacht. 

That handsome, well-built man who is standing by 
the binnacle, is a Mr. Hautaine. He served six years 
as midshipman in the navy, and did not like it. He 
then served six years in a cavalry regiment, and did 
not like it. He then married, and, in a much shorter 
probation, found that he did not like that. But he 
is very fond of yachts and other men's wives, if he 
does not like his own; and wherever he goes, he is 
welcome. 

That young man with an embroidered silk waistcoat 
and white gloves, bending to talk to one of the ladies, 
is a Mr. Vaughan. He is to be seen at Almack's, at 
Crockford's, and everywhere else. Every body knows 
him, and he knows every body. He is a little in 
debt, and yachting is convenient. 

The one who sits by the lady is a relation of 
Lord B. ; you see at once what Jie is. He apes the 



268 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

sailor: he has not shaved, because sailors have no 
time to shave every day; he has not changed his 
linen, because sailors cannot change every day. He 
has a cigar in his mouth, which makes him half sick 
and annoys his company. He talks of the pleasure of 
a rough sea, which will drive all the ladies below — and 
then they will not perceive that he is more sick than 
themselves. He has the misfortune to be born to a 
large estate, and to be a fool. His name is Ossulton. 

The last of the gentlemen on board whom I have 
to introduce, is Mr. Seagrove. He is slightly made, 
with marked features full of intelligence. He has been 
brought up to the bar ; and has every qualification but 
application. He has never had a brief, nor has he a 
chance of one. He is the fiddler of the company, and 
he has locked up his chambers, and come, by invitation 
of his lordship, to play on board of his yacht. 

I have yet to describe the ladies — perhaps I should 
have commenced with them — I must excuse myself 
upon the principle of reserving the best to the last. 
All puppet-showmen do so ; and what is this but the 
first scene in my puppet-show. 

We will describe them according to seniority. That 
tall, thin, cross-looking lady of forty-five is a spinster, 
and sister to Lord B. She has been persuaded very 
much against her will to come on board ; but her 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 269 

notions of propriety would not permit her niece to 
embark under the protection of only her father. She 
is frightened at every thing; if a rope is thrown 
down on the deck, up she starts, and cries, " Oh ! " 
if on the deck, she thinks the water is rushing in 
below ; if down below, and there is a noise, she is 
convinced there is danger ; and, if it be perfectly still, 
she is sure there is something wrong. She fidgets 
herself and every body, and is quite a nuisance with 
her pride and ill-humour ; but she has strict notions 
of propriety, and sacrifices herself as a martyr. She 
is the Hon. Miss Ossulton. 

The lady who, when she smiles, shews so many 
dimples in her pretty oval face, is a young widow 
of the name of Lascelles. She married an old man 
to please her father and mother, which was very 
dutiful on her part. She was rewarded by finding 
herself a widow with a large fortune. Having married 
the first time to please her parents, she intends now 
to marry to please herself; but she is very young, 
and is in no hurry. 

That young lady with such a sweet expression 
of countenance, is the Hon. Miss Cecilia Ossulton. 
She is lively, witty, and has no fear in her composition ; 
but she is very young yet, not more than seventeen — 
and nobody knows what she really is — she does not 



270 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

know herself. These are the parties who meet in the 
cabin of the yacht. The crew consists of ten fine 
seamen, the steward and the cook. There is also 
Lord B.'s valet, Mr. Ossulton's gentleman, and the 
lady's maid of Miss Ossulton. There not being 
accommodation for them, the other servants have 
been left on shore. 

The yacht is now under weigh, and her sails are all 
set. She is running between Drake's Island and the 
main. Dinner has been announced. As the reader 
has learnt something about the preparations, I leave 
him to judge whether it be not very pleasant to sit 
down to dinner in a yacht. The air had given every 
body an appetite ; and it was not until the cloth 
was removed that the conversation became general. 

" Mr. Seagrove," said his lordship, " you very nearly 
lost your passage ; I expected you last Thursday." 

" I am sorry, my lord, that business prevented my 
sooner attending to your lordship's kind summons." 

"Come, Seagrove, don't be nonsensical," said Hau- 
taine ; " you told me yourself, the other evening, 
when you were talkative, that you had never had 
a brief in your life." 

" And a very fortunate circumstance," replied Sea- 
grove ; " for if I had had a brief I should not have 
known what to have done with it. It is not my 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 271 

fault; I am fit for nothing but a commissioner; but 
still I had business, and very important business, too ; 
I was summoned by Ponsonby to go with him to 
Tattersall's, to give my opinion about a horse hs 
wishes to purchase, and then to attend him to Forest 
Wild to plead his cause with his uncle." 

"It appears, then, that you were retained," replied 
Lord B. ; " may I ask you whether your friend gained 
his cause ?" 

" No, my lord, he lost his cause, but he gained 
a suit." 

" Expound your riddle, sir," said Cecilia Ossulton. 

" The fact is, that old Ponsonby is very anxious 
that William should marry Miss Percival, whose estates 
join on to Forest Wild. Now, my friend William 
is about as fond of marriage as I am of law, and 
thereby issue was joined." 

" But why were you to be called in ? " inquired 
Mrs. Lascelles. 

" Because, madam, as Ponsonby never buys a horse 
without consulting me " 

" I cannot see the analogy, sir," observed Miss 
Ossulton, senior, bridling up. 

" Pardon me, madam : the fact is," continued Sea- 
grove, "that, as I always have to back Ponsonby 's 
horses, he thought it right that, in this instance, I 



272 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

should back him; he required special pleading, but 
his uncle tried him for the capital offence, and he 
was not allowed counsel. As soon as we arrived, 
and I had bowed myself into the room, Mr. Ponsonby 
bowed me out again — which would have been infi- 
nitely more jarring to my feelings, had not the door 
been left a-jar." 

" Do any thing but pun, Seagrove," interrupted 
Hautaine. 

" Well, then, I will take a glass of wine." 

" Do so," said his lordship ; " but, recollect, the 
whole company are impatient for your story." 

" I can assure you, my lord, that it was equal to 
any scene in a comedy." 

Now, be it observed, that Mr. Seagrove had a great 
deal of comic talent ; he was an excellent mimic, 
and could alter his voice almost as he pleased. It 
was a custom of his to act a scene as between other 
people, and he performed it remarkably well. When- 
ever he said that any thing he was going to narrate 
was "as good as a comedy," it was generally under- 
stood by those who were acquainted with him, that 
he was to be asked so to do. Cecilia Ossulton there- 
fore immediately said, " Pray act it, Mr. Seagrove." 

Upon which Mr. Seagrove — premising that he had 
not only heard, but also seen all that had passed — 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 273 

changing his voice, and suiting the action to the word, 
commenced. "It may," said he, "be called 



We shall not describe Mr. Seagrove's motions ; they 
must be inferred from his words. 

" c It will, then, William,' observed Mr. Ponsonby, 
stopping, and turning to his nephew, after a rapid 
walk up and down the room with his hands behind 
him under his coat, so as to allow the tails to drop 
their perpendicular about three inches clear of his 
body, ' I may say, without contradiction, be the finest 
property in the county — five thousand acres in a 
ring-fence.' 

" e I dare say it will, uncle,' replied William, tap- 
ping his foot as he lounged in a green morocco easy 
chair ; ( and so, because you have set your fancy 
upon having these two estates enclosed together in a 
ring-fence, you wish that I should also be enclosed 
in a rijig-fence.' 

" e And a beautiful property it will be,' replied 
Mr. Ponsonby. 

" { Which, uncle ? — the estate or the wife ? ' 

" ' Both, nephew, both ; and I expect your consent.' 

" ' Uncle, I am not avaricious. Your present pro- 
perty is sufficient for me. With your permission, 



274 CUTTER THE FIRST. 



instead of doubling the property, and doubling myself, 
I will remain your sole heir, and single.' 

" l Observe, William, such an opportunity may not 
occur again for centuries. We shall restore Forest 
Wild to its ancient boundaries. You know it has 
been divided nearly two hundred years. We now 
have a glorious, golden opportunity of re-uniting the 
two properties; and when joined, the estate will be 
exactly what it was when granted to our ancestors by 
Henry the Eighth, at the period of the Reformation. 
This house must be pulled down, and the monastery 
left standing. Then we shall have our own again, 
and the property without encumbrance.' 

" ( Without encumbrance, uncle ! — You forget that 
there will be a wife.' 

" ( And you forget that there will be five thousand 
acres in a ring-fence.' 

" ' Indeed, uncle, you ring it too often in my 
ears, that I should forget it; but much as I should 
like to be the happy possessor of such a property, 
I do not feel inclined to be the happy possessor of 
Miss Percival ; and the more so, as I have never 
seen the property.' 

" e We will ride over it to-morrow, William.' 
" ' Ride over Miss Percival, uncle ! that will not 
be very gallant. I will, however, one of these days, 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 275 

ride over the property with you, which, as well as 
Miss Percival, I have not as yet seen.' 

" c Then I can tell you, she is a very pretty property.' 

" ( If she were not in a ring-fence." 

" ( In good heart, William. — That is, I mean an 
excellent disposition.' 

ecc Valuable in matrimony.' 

" l And well tilled — I should say well educated, by 
her three maiden aunts, who are the patterns of pro- 
priety.' 

"'Does any one follow the fashion?' 

" ( In a high state of cultivation ; that is, her mind 
highly cultivated, and according to the last new 
system — what is it?' 

" e A four-course shift, I presume,' replied William, 
laughing ; i that is, dancing, singing, music, and drawing.' 

" ( And only seventeen ! — Capital soil, promising 
good crops. — What would you have more ? ' 

" c A very pretty estate, uncle, if it were not the 
estate of matrimony. I am sorry, very sorry, to dis- 
appoint you; but I must decline taking a lease of it 
for life.' 

" e Then, sir, allow me to hint to you, that, in my 
testament, you are only tenant at will. I consider 
it a duty that I owe to the family, that the estate 
should be re-united. That can only be done by one 



276 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

of our family marrying Miss Percival ; and, as you 
will not, I shall now write to your cousin James, and 
if he accept my proposal, shall make him my heir. 
Probably he will more fully appreciate the advantages 
of five thousand acres in a ring-fence.' 

" And Mr. Ponsonby directed his steps towards 
the door. 

" ' Stop, my dear uncle,' cried William, rising up 
from his easy chair; 'we do not quite understand 
one another. It is very true that I would prefer half 
the property and remaining single to the two estates 
and the estate of marriage ; but, at the same time, 
I did not tell you that I would prefer beggary to a 
wife and five thousand acres in a ring-fence. I know 
you to be a man of your word; — I accept your pro- 
posal, and you need not put my cousin James to the 
expense of postage.' 

" e Very good, William ; I require no more : and 
as I know you to be a man of your word, I shall 
consider this match as settled. It was on this account 
only that I sent for you, and now you may go back 
again as soon as you please — I will let you know 
when all is ready.' 

" ( I must be at Tattersall's on Monday, uncle ; 
there is a horse I must have for next season. Pray, 
uncle, may I ask when you are likely to want me?' 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 277 

" ( Let me see — this is May — about July, I should 
think.' 

" i July, uncle ! Spare me — I cannot marry in the 
dog-days. — No, hang it, not July.' 

e( ' Well, William, perhaps, as you must come down 
once or twice to see the property — Miss Percival, I 
should say — it may be too soon — suppose we put it 
off till October.' 

" e October — I shall be down at Melton.' 
" e Pray, sir, may I then inquire what portion of 
the year is not, with you, Mog-d&ys V 

"'Why, uncle, next April, now — I think that 
would do.' 

i( ' Next April. — Eleven months, and a winter between. 
Suppose Miss Percival was to take a cold, and die ! — ' 

" ( I should be excessively obliged to her,' thought 
William. 

" < No ! no ! ' continued Mr. Ponsonby, e there is 
nothing certain in this world, William.' 

u ( Well then, uncle, suppose we arrange it for the 
first hard frost.'' 

" 6 We have had no hard frosts lately, William. — 
We may wait for years. — The sooner it is over the 
better. — Go back to town, buy your horse, and then 
come down here — my dear William, to oblige your 
uncle — never mind the dog-days.' 



278 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

" l Well, sir, if I am to make a sacrifice, it shall 
not be done by halves; out of respect for you, I 
will even marry in July, without any regard to the 
thermometer.' 

" ' You are a good boy, William. — Do you want 
a cheque ?' 

" ' I have had one to-day,' thought William, and 
was almost at fault. e I shall be most thankful, sir — 
they sell horse-flesh by the ounce nowadays.' 

" ' And you pay in pounds. — There, William.' 

" c Thank you, sir, I 'm, all obedience ; and I '11 
keep my word, even if there should be a comet. 
I '11 go and buy the horse, and then I shall be ready 
to take the ring-fence as soon as you please.' 

" e Yes, and you '11 get over it cleverly, I 've no 
doubt. — Five thousand acres, William, and — a pretty 
wife !' 

"'Have you any further commands, uncle?' said 
William, depositing the cheque in his pocket-book. 

" ' Now, my dear boy, are you going ? ' 

" ' Yes, sir ; I dine at the Clarendon." 

" e Well, then, good-bye. — Make my compliments 
and excuses to your friend Seagrove. — You will come 
Tuesday or Wednesday.' 

" Thus was concluded the marriage between William 
Ponsonby and Emily Percival, and the junction of 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 279 

the two estates, which formed together the great 
desideratum,— -five thousand acres in a ring-fence" 

Mr. Seagrove finished, and looked round for appro- 
bation. 

" Very good, indeed, Seagrove," said his lordship, 
"you must take a glass of wine after that." 

" I would not give much for Miss Percival's chance 
of happiness," observed the elder Miss Ossulton. 

" Of two evils choose the least, they say," observed 
Mr. Hautaine. " Poor Ponsonby could not help 
himself." 

" That 's a very polite observation of yours, Mr. 
Hautaine — I thank you in the name of the sex," 
replied Cecilia Ossulton. 

" Nay, Miss Ossulton ; would you like to marry 
a person whom you never saw ? " 

" Most certainly not ; but when you mentioned the 
two evils, Mr. Hautaine, I appeal to your honour, 
did you not refer to marriage or beggary?" 

" I must confess it, Miss Ossulton ; but it is 
hardly fair to call on my honour to get me into a 
scrape." 

" I only wish that the offer had been made to me," 
observed Vaughan ; " I should not have hesitated as 
Ponsonby did." 

" Then I beg you will not think of proposing for 



280 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

me," said Mrs. Lascelles, laughing; for Mr. Vaughan 
had been excessively attentive. 

"It appears to me, Vaughan," observed Seagrove, 
" that you have slightly committed yourself by that 
remark." 

Vaughan, who thought so too, replied : " Mrs. 
Lascelles must be aware that I was only joking." 

"Fie! Mr. Vaughan," cried Cecilia Ossulton; "you 
know it came from your heart." 

" My dear Cecilia," said the elder Miss Ossulton, 
'you forget yourself — what can you possibly know 
about gentlemen's hearts?" 

" The Bible says, ' that they are deceitful and 
desperately wicked,' aunt." 

" And cannot we also quote the Bible against your 
sex, Miss Ossulton?" replied Seagrove. 

" Yes, you could, perhaps, if any of you had ever 
read it," replied Miss Ossulton, carelessly. 

" Upon my word, Cissy, you are throwing the 
gauntlet down to the gentlemen," observed Lord B., 
" but I shall throw my warder down, and not permit 
this combat a Voutrance, — I perceive you drink no 
more wine, gentlemen, — we will take our coffee on 
deck." 

" We were just about to retire, my lord/' observed 
the elder Miss Ossulton, with great asperity : " I have 



CUTTER THE FIRST. 281 

been trying to catch the eye of Mrs. Lascelles for 
some time, but " 

"I was looking another way, I presume," inter- 
rupted Mrs. Lascelles, smiling. 

"I am afraid that I am the unfortunate culprit," 
said Mr. Seagrove ; " I was telling a little anecdote 
to Mrs. Lascelles " 

"Which, of course, from its being communicated 
in an under tone, was not proper for all the company 
to hear," replied the elder Miss Ossulton: "but if 
Mrs. Lascelles is now ready — " continued she, bridling 
up, as she rose from her chair. 

" At all events, I can hear the remainder of it on 
deck," replied Mrs. Lascelles. The ladies rose, and 
went into the cabin: Cecilia and Mrs, Lascelles 
exchanging very significant smiles, as they followed 
the precise spinster, who did not choose that Mrs. 
Lascelles should take the lead, merely because she 
had once happened to have been married. The 
gentlemen also broke up, and went on deck. 

" We have a nice breeze now, my lord," observed 
Mr. Stewart, who had remained on deck, "and we 
lie right up Channel." 

" So much the better," replied his lordship ; " we 
ought to have been anchored at Cowes a week ago. 
They will all be there before us." 



282 CUTTER THE FIRST. 

" Tell Mr. Simpson to bring me a lightfor my 
cigar," said Mr. Ossulton to one of the men. 

Mr. Stewart went down to his dinner; the ladies 
and the coffee came on deck; the breeze was fine, 
the weather (it was April) almost warm ; and the 
yacht, whose name was the Arrow, assisted by the 
tide, soon left the Mewstone far astern. 



CHAPTER II. 

CUTTER THE SECOND. 

Reader, have you ever been at Portsmouth ? If 
you have, you must have been delighted with the 
view from the saluting battery; and, if you have not, 
you had better go there as soon as you can. From 
the saluting battery you may look up the harbour, 
and see much of what I have described at Plymouth : 
the scenery is different ; but similar arsenals and 
dock-yards, and an equal portion of our stupendous 
navy, are to be found there. — And you will see Gos- 
port on the other side of the harbour, and Sally Port 
close to you; besides a great many other places, which, 
from the saluting battery, you cannot see. And then 
there is Southsea Beach to your left. Before you, 
Spithead, with the men-of-war, and the Motherbank, 
crowded with merchant vessels ; — and there is the 
Buoy, where the Royal George was wrecked, and 
where she still lies, the fish swimming in and out of 
her cabin windows : but that is not all ; you can also 
see the Isle of Wight, — Ryde, with its long wooden 



284 CUTTER THE SECOND. 

pier, and Cowes, where the yachts lie. In fact, there 
is a great deal to be seen at Portsmouth as well as at 
Plymouth ; but what I wish you particularly to see, 
just now, is a vessel holding fast to the buoy, just off 
the saluting battery. She is a cutter; and you may 
know that she belongs to the Preventive Service by the 
number of gigs and galleys which she has hoisted up 
all round her. She looks like a vessel that was about 
to sail with a cargo of boats. Two on deck, one 
astern, one on each side of her. You observe that 
she is painted black, and all her boats are white. She 
is not such an elegant vessel as the yacht, and she is 
much more lumbered up. She has no haunches of 
venison over the stern ; but I think there is a leg 
of mutton, and some cabbages hanging by their stalks. 
But revenue- cutters are not yachts. — You will find no 
turtle or champagne ; but, nevertheless, you will, 
perhaps, find a joint to carve at, a good glass of grog, 
and a hearty welcome. 

Let us go on board. — You observe the guns are 
iron, and painted black, and her bulwarks are painted 
red: it is not a very becoming colour; but then it 
lasts a long while, and the dock-yard is not very gene- 
rous on the score of paint — or lieutenants of the navy 
troubled with much spare cash. She has plenty of 
men, and fine men they are ; all dressed in red flannel 



CUTTER THE SECOND. 285 

shirts, and blue trousers ; some of them have not taken 
off their canvass or tarpauling petticoats, which are 
very useful to them, as they are in the boats night 
and day, and in all weathers. But we will at once go 
down into the cabin, where we shall find the lieutenant 
who commands her, a master's mate, and a midship- 
man. — They have each their tumbler before them, 
and are drinking gin -toddy, hot, with sugar — capital 
gin, too, 'bove proof; it is from that small anker, 
standing under the table. It was one that they forgot 
to return to the custom-house when they made their 
last seizure. We must introduce them. 

The elderly personage, with grizzly hair and whiskers, 
a round pale face, and a somewhat red nose (being 
too much in the wind will make the nose red, and 
this old officer is very often "in the wind," of course, 
from the very nature of his profession), is a Lieutenant 
Appleboy. He has served in every class of vessel in 
the service, and done the duty of first-lieutenant for 
twenty years; he is now on promotion — that is to 
say, after he has taken a certain number of tubs of 
gin, he will be rewarded with his rank as commander. 
It is a pity that what he takes inside of him does not 
count, for he takes it morning, noon, and night. — 
He is just filling his fourteenth glass; he always 
keeps a regular account, as he never exceeds his 



286 CUTTER THE SECOND. 

limited number, which is seventeen : then he is exactly 
down to his bearings. 

The master's mate's name is Tomkins ; he has served 
his six years three times over, and has now outgrown 
his ambition, which is fortunate for him, as his chances 
of promotion are small. He prefers a small vessel to 
a large one, because he is not obliged to be so parti- 
cular in his dress — and looks for his lieutenancy when- 
ever there shall be another charity promotion. He is 
fond of soft bread, for his teeth are all absent without 
leave ■; he prefers porter to any other liquor, but he 
can drink his glass of grog, whether it be based upon 
rum, brandy, or the liquor now before him. 

Mr. Smith is the name of that young gentleman, 
whose jacket is so out at the elbows ; he has been intend- 
ing to mend it these last two months, but is too lazy 
to go to his chest for another. — He has been turned 
out of half the ships in the service for laziness ; but 
he was born so — and therefore it is not his fault. — A 
revenue-cutter suits him, she is half her time hove 
to ; and he has no objection to boat-service, as he sits 
down always in the stern-sheets, which is not fatiguing. 
Creeping for tubs is his delight, as he gets over so 
little ground. He is fond of grog, but there is some 
trouble in carrying the tumbler so often to his mouth ; 
so he looks at it, and lets it stand. He says little, 



CUTTER THE SECOND. 287 

because he is too lazy to speak. He has served more 
than eight years ; but as for passing — it has never 
come into his head. Such are the three persons who 
are now sitting in the cabin of the revenue-cutter, 
drinking hot gin-toddy. 

" Let me see, it was, I think, in ninety-three, or 
ninety-four. — Before you were in the service, Tom- 
kins.—"' 

"May-be, sir; it's so long ago since I entered, 
that I can't recollect dates, — but this I know, that 
my aunt died three days before." 

" Then the question is, when did your aunt die ?" 

" Oh ! she died about a year after my uncle." 

" And when did your uncle die ? " 

" I '11 be hanged if I know !" 

" Then, d' ye see, you 've no departure to work 
from. However, I think you cannot have been in 
the service at that time. We were not quite so par- 
ticular about uniform as we are now." 

" Then I think the service was all the better for 
it. Nowadays, in your crack ships, a mate has to go 
down in the hold or spirit-room, and after whipping 
up fifty empty casks, and breaking out twenty full 
ones, he is expected to come on the quarter-deck as 
clean as if he was just come out of a bandbox." 

" Well, there 's plenty of water alongside, as far as 



288 CUTTER THE SECOND. 



the outward man goes, and iron dust is soon brushed 
off. However, as you say, perhaps, a little too much 
is expected; at least, in five of the ships in which I 
was first-lieutenant, the captain was always hauling 
me over the coals about the midshipmen not dressing 
properly, as if I was their dry nurse. I wonder what 
Captain Prigg would have said, if he 'd seen such a 
turn-out as you, Mr. Smith, on his quarter-deck." 

" I should have had one turn-out more," drawled 
Smith. 

"With your out-at-elbows jacket, there, heh!" con- 
tinued Mr. Appleboy. 

Smith turned up his elbows, looked at one and 
then at the other; after so fatiguing an operation, he 
was silent. 

Well, where was I? Oh! it was about ninety- 
three or ninety-four, as I said, that it happened — 
Tomkins, fill your glass, and hand me the sugar, — 
how do I get on? — This is No. 15," said Appleboy, 
counting some white lines on the table by him; and 
taking up the piece of chalk, he marked one more line 
on his tally. " I don 't think this so good a tub as the 
last, Tomkins, there 's a twang about it — a want of 
juniper — however, I hope we shall have better luck this 
time. — Of course you know we sail to-morrow." 

" I presume so, by the leg of mutton coming on board." 



CUTTER THE SECOND. 289 

"True — true — I'm regular — as clock-work. — After 
being twenty years a first-lieutenant, one gets a little 
method — I like regularity. Now the admiral has 
never omitted asking me to dinner once, every time 
I have come into harbour, except this time. — I was^ 
so certain of it, that I never expected to sail, and I 
have but two shirts clean in consequence." 

" That 's odd, isn' t it ? and the more so, because he 
has had such great people down here, and has been 
giving large parties every day." 

" And yet I made three seizures, besides sweeping 
up those thirty-seven tubs." 

"I swept them up," observed Smith. 

" That 's all the same thing, youriker. — When you've 
been a little longer in the service, you'll find out that 
the commanding officer has the merit of all that is 
done — but you're green yet. — Let me see, where was I ? 
Oh! — It was about ninety-three or ninety-four, as I 
said. At that time I was in the Channel fleet — 
Tomkins, I'll trouble you for the hot water — this 
water's cold. — Mr. Smith, do me the favour to ring 
the bell — Jem, some more hot water." 

" Please, sir," said Jem, who was barefooted, as well 
as bareheaded, touching the lock of hair on his fore- 
head, 6i the cook has capsised the kettle — but he has 
put more on." 



290 CUTTER THE SECOND. 



" Capsised the kettle ! hah ! — very well — we '11 talk 
about that to-morrow. — Mr. Tomkins do me the favour 
to put him in the report, I may forget it. And pray 
sir, how long is it since he has put more on ? " 

" Just this moment, sir, as I came aft." 

a Very well, we '11 see to that to-morrow : — you bring 
the kettle aft as soon as it is ready. — I say, Mr. Jem, 
is that fellow sober?" 

" Yees, sir, he be sober as you be." 

" It 's quite astonishing what a propensity the com- 
mon sailors have to liquor. Forty odd years have I 
been in the service, and I 've never found any differ- 
ence : I only wish I had a guinea for every time that 
I have given a fellow seven-water grog during my 
servitude as first-lieutenant, I wouldn't call the king 
my cousin. Well, if there 's no hot water we must 
take lukewarm — it won't do to heave to. By the L — d 
Harry! who would have thought it? — I'm at No. 16! 
— Let me count — yes ! surely I must have made a 
mistake. — A fact, by heaven !" continued Mr. Appleboy, 
throwing the chalk down on the table. " Only one 
more glass, after this — that is, if I have counted right 
— I may have seen double." 

"Yes," drawled Smith. 

" Well, never mind — Let's go on with my story. — 
It was either in the year ninety-three or ninety-four, 



CUTTER THE SECOND. 291 

that I was in the Channel fleet — we were then a-breast 
of Torbay." 

" Here be the hot water, sir," cried Jem, putting 
the kettle down on the deck. 

"Very well, boy. — By-the-by, has the jar of butter 
come on board?" 

" Yes, but it be broke all down the middle ; I tied 
him up with a ropeyarn." 

"Who broke it, sir?" 

" Coxswain says as how he didn't." 

"But who did, sir?" 

" Coxswain handed it up to Bill Jones, and he says 
as how he didn't." 

"But who did, sir?" 

" Bill Jones gave it to me, and I 'm sure as how 
I didn't." 

"Then who did, sir, I ask you?" 

"I think it be Bill Jones, sir, 'cause he's fond of 
butter, I know, and there be very little left in the jar." 

" Very well, we '11 see to that to-morrow morning. 
Mr. Tomkins, you'll oblige me by putting the butter- 
jar down in the report, in case it should slip my 
memory. Bill Jones, indeed, looks as if butter wouldn't 
melt in his mouth — never mind. Well, it was, as I 
said before — it was in the year ninety-three or ninety- 
four, when I was in the Channel fleet; we were then 



292 CUTTER THE SECOND. 

off Torbay, and had just taken two reefs in the top- 
sails. Stop, before I go on with my story, I'll take 
my last glass — I think it's the last: let me count — 
yes, by heavens I make out sixteen, well told ! Never 
mind, it shall be a stiff one. Boy, bring the kettle, 
and mind you don't pour the hot water into my shoes, 
as you did the other night. There, that will do. Now, 
Tomkins, fill up yours ; and you, Mr. Smith : let us all 
start fair, and then you shall have my story — and a 
very curious one it is, I can tell you ; I wouldn't have 
believed it myself, if I hadn't seen it. Hilloa ! what's 
this? Confound it ! what's the matter with the toddy? 
Heh, Mr. Tomkins?" 

Mr. Tomkins tasted, but, like the lieutenant, he 
had made it very stiff; and, as he had also taken 
largely before, he was, like him, not quite so clear in 
his discrimination : " It has a queer twang > sir ; Smith, 
what is it?" 

Smith took up his glass, tasted the contents: 

"Salt water" drawled the midshipman. 

"Salt water! so it is, by heavens!" cried Mr. Ap- 
pleboy. 

" Salt as Lot's wife ! — by all that 's infamous ! " 
cried the master's mate. 

" Salt water, sir ! " cried Jem, in a fright — expect- 
ing a salt eel for supper. 



CUTTER THE SECOND. 293 

" Yes, sir," replied Mr. Appleboy, tossing the con- 
tents of the tumbler in the boy's face, — " salt water. 
Very well, sir — very well ! " 

" It warn't me, sir," replied the boy, making up 
a piteous look. 

" No, sir, but you said the cook was sober." 
" He was not so very much disguised, sir," replied 
Jem. 

" Oh ! very well — never mind. Mr. Tomkins, in 
case I should forget it, do me the favour to put the 
kettle of salt water down in the report. The scoundrel ! 
I 'm very sorry, gentlemen, but there 's no means of 
having any more gin-toddy, — but never mind, we '11 see 
to this to-morrow. Two can play at this; and if I 
don't salt-water their grog, and make them drink it, too, 
I have been twenty years a first-lieutenant for nothing 
— that 's all. Good night, gentlemen ; and," continued 
the lieutenant, in a severe tone, " you '11 keep a sharp 
look-out, Mr. Smith — do you hear, sir?" 

" Yes," drawled Smith, " but it 's not my watch ; it 
was my first watch, and, just now, it struck one bell." 

" You '11 keep the middle watch, then, Mr. Smith," 
said Mr. Appleboy, who was not a little put out ; " and, 
Mr. Tomkins, let me know as soon as it's daylight. 
Boy, get my bed made. Salt water, by all that 's blue ! 
However, we '11 see to that to-morrow morning." 



294 CUTTER THE SECOND. 

Mr. Appleboy then turned in ; so did Mr. Tomkins ; 
and so did Mr. Smith, who had no idea of keeping 
the middle watch because the cook was drunk and 
had filled up the kettle with salt water. As for what 
happened in ninety-three or ninety-four, I really would 
inform the reader if I knew, but I 'm afraid that that 
most curious story is never to be handed down to 
posterity. 

The next morning, Mr. Tomkins, as usual, forgot 
to report the cook, the jar of butter, and the kettle of 
salt water ; and Mr. Appleboy's wrath had long been 
appeased before he remembered them. At daylight, 
the lieutenant came on deck, having only slept away 
half of the sixteen, and a taste of the seventeenth salt 
water glass of gin-toddy. He rubbed his gray eyes, 
that he might peer through the gray of the morning; 
the fresh breeze blew about his grizzly locks, and 
cooled his rubicund nose. The revenue-cutter, whose 
name was the " Active," cast off from the buoy ; and, 
with a fresh breeze, steered her course for the Needles' 
passage. 



CHAPTER III. 

CUTTER THE THIRD. 

Reader ! have you been to St. Maloes ? If you 
have, you were glad enough to leave the hole; and, 
if you have not, take my advice, and do not give 
yourself the trouble to go and see that, or any other 
French port in the Channel. There is not one worth 
looking at. They have made one or two artificial 
ports, and they are no great things ; there is no 
getting out, or getting in. In fact, they have no 
harbours in the Channel, while we have the finest 
in the world; a peculiar dispensation of Providence, 
because it knew that we should want them, and France 
would not. In France, what are called ports are all 
alike, nasty narrow holes, only to be entered at certain 
times of tide and certain winds ; made up of basins 
and back-waters, custom-houses, and cabarets; just 
fit for smugglers to run into, and nothing more : and, 
therefore, they are used for very little else. 

Now, in the dog-hole called St. Maloes there is 
some pretty land, although a great deficiency of marine- 



296 CUTTER THE THIRD. 

scenery. But never mind that: stay at home, and 
don't go abroad to drink sour wine, because they call 
it Bourdeaux, and eat villanous trash, so disguised by 
cooking that you cannot possibly tell which of the 
birds of the air, or beasts of the field, or fishes of the 
sea, you are cramming down your throat. " If all is 
right, there is no occasion for disguise," is an old 
saying; so depend upon it, that there is something 
wrong, and that you are eating offal, under a grand 
French name. They eat every thing in France, and 
would serve you up the head of a monkey who has 
died of the small-pox, as Singe au petite verole — that 
is, if you did not understand French ; if you did, they 
would call it, Tete d'amour a V Ethiopique, and then 
you would be even more puzzled. As for their wine, 
there is no disguise in that — it's half vinegar. No, 
no ! stay at home : you can live just as cheaply, if 
you choose ; and then you will have good meat, good 
vegetables, good ale, good beer, and a good glass of 
grog — and what is of more importance, you will be 
in good company. Live with your friends, and don't 
make a fool of yourself. 

I would not have condescended to have noticed this 
place, had it not been that I wish you to observe a 
vessel which is lying along the pier-wharf, with a 
plank from the shore to her gunnel. It is low water, 



CUTTER THE THIRD, 297 

and she is aground, and the plank dips down at such 
an angle, that it is a work of danger to go either in or 
out of her. You observe that there is nothing very 
remarkable in her. She is a cutter, and a good sea- 
boat, and sails well before the wind. She is short for 
her breadth of beam, and is not armed. Smugglers do 
not arm now — the service is too dangerous ; they effect 
their purpose by cunning, not by force. Nevertheless, 
it requires that smugglers should be good seamen, 
smart, active fellows, and keen-witted, or they can do 
nothing. This vessel has not a large cargo in her, but 
it is valuable. She has some thousand yards of lace, 
a few hundred pounds of tea, a few bales of silk, and 
about forty ankers of brandy — -just as much as they can 
land in one boat. All they ask is a heavy gale, or a 
thick fog, and they trust to themselves for success. 

There is nobody on board except a boy; the crew 
are all up at the cabaret, settling their little accounts 
of every description — for they smuggle both ways, and 
every man has his own private venture. There they 
are all, fifteen of them, and fine-looking fellows, too, 
sitting at that long table. They are very merry, but 
quite sober, as they are to sail to-night. 

The captain of the vessel (whose name, by-the-by, 
is the " Happy-go-lucky," — the captain christened her 
himself) is that fine -looking young man, with dark 



Q Q 



298 CUTTER THE THIRD. 

whiskers, meeting under his throat. His name is Jack 
Pickersgill. You perceive, at once, that he is much 
above a common sailor in appearance. His. manners 
are good, he is remarkably handsome, very clean, and 
rather a dandy in his dress. Observe, how very politely 
he takes off his hat to that Frenchman, with whom he 
has just settled accounts; he beats Johnny Crapeau 
at his own weapons. And then there is an air of com- 
mand, a feeling of conscious superiority about Jack ; 
see how he treats the landlord, de haut en has, at the 
same time that he is very civil. The fact is, that Jack 
is of a very good, old family, and received a very 
excellent education : but he was an orphan, his friends 
were poor, and could do but little for him ; he went out 
to India as a cadet, ran away, and served in a schooner 
which smuggled opium into China, and then came 
home. He took a liking to the employment, and is 
now laying up a very pretty little sum : not that he 
intends to stop ; no, as soon as he has enough to fit 
out a vessel for himself, he intends to start again for 
India, and with two cargoes of opium, he will return, 
he trusts, with a handsome fortune, and reassume his 
family name. Such are Jack's intentions : and, as he 
eventually means to reappear as a gentleman, he pre- 
serves his gentlemanly habits; he neither drinks, nor 
chews, nor smokes. He keeps his hands clean, wears 



CUTTER THE THIRD. 299 

rings, and sports a gold snuff-box ; notwithstanding 
which, Jack is one of the boldest and best of sailors, 
and the men know it. He is full of fun, and as keen 
as a razor. Jack has a very heavy venture this time 
—all the lace is his own speculation, and, if he gets 
it in safe, he will clear some thousands of pounds. A 
certain fashionable shop in London has already agreed 
to take the whole off his hands. 

That short, neatly made young man, is the second 
in command, and the companion of the captain. He 
is clever, and always has a remedy to propose when 
there is a difficulty, which is a great quality in a second 
in command. His name is Corbett. He is always 
merry — half sailor, half tradesman ; knows the markets, 
runs up to London, and does business as well as a 
chapman — lives for the day, and laughs at to-morrow. 

That little punchy old man, with long gray hair 
and fat face, with a nose like a note of interrogation, 
is the next personage of importance. He ought to be 
called the sailing master, for, although he goes on shore 
in France, off the English coast he never quits the 
vessel. When they leave her with the goods, he 
remains on board; he is always to be found off any 
part of the coast where he may be ordered ; holding his 
position in defiance of gales, and tides, and fogs : as 
for the revenue-vessels, they all know him well enough, 



300 CUTTER THE THIRD. 

but they cannot touch a vessel in ballast, if she has no 
more men on board than allowed by her tonnage. He 
knows every creek, and hole, and corner, of the coast ; 
how the tides run in — tide, half-tide, eddy, or current. 
That is his value. His name is Morrison. 

You observe that Jack Pickersgill has two excellent 
supporters in Corbett and Morrison ; his other men 
are good seamen, active, and obedient, which is all that 
he requires. I shall not particularly introduce them. 

" Now you may call for another litre, my lads, 
and that must be the last ; the tide is flowing fast, and 
we shall be afloat in half an hour, and we have just 
the breeze we want. What d' ye think, Morrison, shall 
we have dirt ? " 

" I've been looking just now, and if it were any other 
month in the year I should say, yes ; but there 's no 
trusting April, captain. Howsomever, if it does blow 
off, I'll promise you a fog in three hours afterwards." 

" That will do as well. Corbett, have you settled 
with Duval?" 

"Yes, after more noise and charivari than a panic 
in the stock-exchange would make in England. He 
fought and squabbled for an hour, and I found that, 
without some abatement, I never should have settled 
the affair." 

"What did you let him off?" 



CUTTER THE THIRD. 301 

" Seventeen sous," replied Corbett, laughing. 
" And that satisfied him ? " inquired Pickersgill. 
" Yes — it was all he could prove to be a surfaire : 
two of the knives were a little rusty. But he will 
always have something off; he could not be happy 
without it. I really think he would commit suicide, if 
he had to pay a bill without a deduction." 

" Let him live," replied Pickersgill. " Jeannette, 
a bottle of Volnay, of 1811, and three glasses." 

Jeannette, who was Xhefille de cabaret, soon appeared 
with a bottle of a wine, seldom called for, except by 
the captain of the Happy-go-lucky. 

"You sail to-night?" said she, as she placed the 
bottle before him. 

Pickersgill nodded his head. 

" I had a strange dream," said Jeannette ; " I 
thought you were all taken by a revenue cutter, and 
put into a cachot. I went to see you, and I did not 
know one of you again — you were all changed." 

"Very likely, Jeannette — you would not be the 
first who did not know their friends again when in 
misfortune. There was nothing strange in your dream." 
" Mais, mon Dieu ! je ne suis pas comme ca, mo?" 
"No, that you are not, Jeannette; you are a good 
girl, and some of these fine days I '11 marry you," said 
Corbett. 



302 CUTTER THE THIRD. 

" Doit etre Men beau ce jour la, par exemple" re- 
plied Jeannette laughing ; " you have promised to 
marry me every time you have come in, these last 
three years." 

" Well, that proves I keep to my promise, any 
how." 

" Yes ; but you never go any farther." 

" I can 't spare him, Jeannette, that is the real 
truth," said the captain ; " but wait a little — in the 
mean time, here is a flve-franc-piece to add to your 
petite fortune." 

" Merci Men, monsieur le capitaine ; ion voyage ! " 
Jeannette held her finger up to Corbett, saying, with a 
smile, " mediant ! " and then quitted the room. 

i( Come, Morrison, help us to empty this bottle, 
and then we will all go on board." 

"I wish that girl wouldn't come here with her 
nonsensical dreams," said Morrison, taking his seat; 
" I don 't like it. When she said that we should be 
taken by a revenue cutter, I was looking at a blue and 
a white pigeon sitting on the wall opposite ; and I said 
to myself, now, if that be a warning, I will see : if 
the blue pigeon flies away first, I shall be in jail in a 
week ; if the white, I shall be back here." 

" Well ? " said Pickersgill, laughing. 

" It wasn't well," answered Morrison, tossing off 



cuttf:r the third. 803 

his wine, and putting the glass down with a deep sigh ; 
" for the cursed blue pigeon flew away immediately." 

" Why, Morrison, you must have a chicken-heart 
to be frightened at a blue pigeon," said Corbett, 
laughing, and looking out of the window; "at all 
events, he has come back again, and there he is 
sitting by the white one." 

" It 's the first time that ever I was called chicken- 
hearted," replied Morrison, in wrath. 

" Nor do you deserve it, Morrison," replied Pick- 
ersgill; "but Corbett is only joking." 

" Well, at all events I '11 try my luck in the same 
way, and see whether I am to be in jail : I shall take 
the blue pigeon as my bad omen, as you did." 

The sailors and Captain Pickersgill all rose and 
went to the window, to ascertain Corbett's fortune by 
this new species of augury. The blue pigeon flapped 
his wings, and then he sidled up to the white one; 
at last, the white pigeon flew off the wall and settled 
on the roof of the adjacent house. " Bravo ! white 
pigeon," said Corbett; "I shall be here again in a 
week." The whole party, laughing, then resumed 
their seats ; and Morrison's countenance brightened 
up. As he took the glass of wine poured out by 
Pickersgill, he said, " Here 's your health, Corbett ; 
it was all nonsense, after all — for, d'ye see, I can't 



304 CUTTER THE THIRD. 

be put in jail without you are. We all sail in the 
same boat, and when you leave me, you take with 
you every thing that can condemn the vessel — so 
here's success to our trip." 

"We will all drink that toast, my lads, and then 
on board," said the captain ; " here 's success to our 
trip." 

The captain rose, as did the mates and men, drank 
the toast, turned down the drinking vessels on the 
table, hastened to the wharf, and, in half an hour, the 
Happy-go-lucky was clear of the port of St. Maloes. 



CHAPTER IV. 

PORTLAND BILL. 

The Happy-go-lucky sailed with a fresh breeze 
and a flowing sheet from St. Maloes, the evening 
before the Arrow sailed from Barn Pool. The Active 
sailed from Portsmouth the morning after. 

The yacht, as we before observed, was bound to 
Cowes, in the isle of Wight. The Active had orders to 
cruize wherever she pleased within the limits of the 
admiral's station; and she ran for West Bay, on the 
other side of the Bill of Portland. The happy-go- 
lucky was also bound for that bay to land her cargo. 

The wind was light, and there was every appear- 
ance of fine weather, when the Happy-go-lucky, at 
10 o'clock on the Tuesday night, made the Portland 
lights ; as it was impossible to run her cargo that 
night, she hove to. 

At 11 o'clock, the Portland lights were made by 
the revenue cutter, Active. Mr. Appleboy went up 
to have a look at them, ordered the cutter to be hove 
to, and then went down to finish his allowance of 



306 PORTLAND BILL. 



gin-toddy. At 12 o'clock, the yacht Arrow made 
the Portland lights, and continued her course, hardly 
stemming the ebb tide. 

Day broke, and the horizon was clear. The first 
on the look-out were, of course, the smugglers ; they, 
and those on board the revenue cutter, were the only 
two interested parties — the yacht was neuter. 

" There are two cutters in sight, sir," said Corbett, 
who had the watch ; for Pickersgill, having been up 
almost the whole night, had thrown himself down 
on his bed with his clothes on. 

"What do they look like?" said Pickersgill, who 
was up in a moment. 

" One is a yacht, and the other may be ; but I 
rather think, as far as I can judge in the gray, that 
it is our old friend off here." 

"What! old Appleboy?" 

" Yes, it looks like him ; but the day has scarcely 
broke yet." 

" Well, he can do nothing in a light wind like 
this ; and, before the wind, we can shew him our 
heels : but are you sure the other is a yacht ? " said 
Pickersgill, coming on deck. 

" Yes ; the king is more careful of his canvass." 

" You 're right," said Pickersgill, " that is a yacht ; 
and you 're right there again in your guess — that is 



PORTLAND^ILL. '307 

the stupid old Active, which creeps about creeping 
for tubs. Well, I see nothing to alarm us at present, 
provided it don^t fall a dead calm, and then we must 
take to our boat as soon as he takes to his; we 
are four miles from him at least. Watch his mo- 
tions, Corbett, and see if he lowers a boat. What 
does she go now? four knots — that will soon tire 
their men." 

The positions of the three cutters were as fol- 
lows : — 

The Happy-go-lucky was about four miles off Port- 
land Head, and well into West Bay. The revenue 
cutter was close to the Head. The yacht was outside 
of the smuggler about two miles to the westward, and 
about five or six miles from the revenue cutter. 

" Two vessels in sight, sir," said Mr. Smith, coming 
down into the cabin to Mr. Appleboy. 

" Very well," replied the lieutenant, who was lifiny 
down in his standing bed-place. 

" The people say one is the Happy-go-lucky, sir," 
drawled Smith. 

"Heh? what! Happy-go-lucky? yes, I recollect; 
I Ve boarded her twenty times — always empty. How 's 
she standing?" 

" She stands to the westward now, sir ; but she 
was hove to, they say, when they first saw her." 



308 PORTLAND BILL, 



" Then she has a cargo in her ; " and Mr. Appleboy 
shaved himself, dressed, and went on deck. 

"Yes," said the lieutenant, rubbing his eyes again 
and again, and then looking through the glass, "it is 
her sure enough. Let draw the fore-sheet — hands 
make sail. What vessel's the other?" 

" Don't know, sir, — she 's a cutter." 

" A cutter ? yes ; may be a yacht, or may be the 
new cutter ordered on the station. Make all sail, 
Mr. Tomkins ; hoist our pendant, and fire a gun — 
they will understand what we mean then; they don't 
know the Happy-go-lucky as well as we do." 

In a few minutes the Active was under a press of 
sail; she hoisted her pendant, and fired a gun. The 
smuggler perceived that the Active had recognised 
her, and she also threw out more canvass, and ran 
off more to the westward. 

" There 's a gun, sir," reported one of the men to 
Mr. Stewart, on board of the yacht. 

" Y es ; give me the glass — a revenue-cutter ; then 
this vessel in shore, running towards us, must be a 
smuggler." 

" She has just now made all sail, sir." 

" Yes, there 's no doubt of it ; I will go down to 
his lordship — keep her as she goes." 

Mr. Stewart then went down to inform Lord B. 



PORTLAND BILL. 309 



of the circumstance. Not only Lord B., but most of 
the gentlemen came on deck ; as did soon afterwards 
the ladies, who had received the intelligence from Lord 
B., who spoke to them through the door of the cabin. 

But the smuggler had more wind than the revenue 
cutter and increased her distance. 

" If we were to wear round now, my lord," observed 
Mr. Stewart, " she is just abreast of us and in shore, 
we could prevent her escape." 

" Round with her, Mr. Stewart," said Lord B., 
"we must do our duty and protect the laws." 

"That will not be fair, papa," said Cecilia Ossul- 
ton, "we have no quarrel with the smugglers; I'm 
sure the ladies have not, for they bring us beautiful 
things." 

" Miss Ossulton," observed her aunt, " it is not 
proper for you to offer an opinion." 

The yacht wore round, and, sailing so fast, the 
smuggler had little chance of escaping her ; but to 
chase is one thing — to capture, another. 

" Let us give her a gun," said Lord B., " that will 
frighten her ; and he dare not cross our hawse." 

The gun was loaded, and not being more than a 
mile from the smuggler, actually threw the ball almost 
a quarter of the way. 

The gentlemen, as well as Lord B., were equally 



310 PORTLAND BILL. 



excited by the ardour of pursuit; but the wind died 
away, and at last it was nearly calm. The revenue 
cutter's boats were out, and coming up fast. 

" Let us get our boat out, Stewart," said his lord- 
ship, " and help them, it is quite calm now." 

The boat was soon out: it was a very large one, 
usually stowed on, and occupied a large portion of, the 
deck. It pulled six oars ; and when it was manned, 
Mr. Stewart jumped in, and Lord B. followed him. 

" But you have no arms," said Mr. Hautaine. 

" The smugglers never resist now," observed Stewart. 

" Then you are going on a very gallant expedition, 
indeed," observed Cecilia Ossulton ; " I wish you joy." 

But Lord B. was too much excited to pay attention. 
They shoved off, and pulled towards the smuggler. 

At this time, the revenue boats were about five 
miles astern of the Happy-go-lucky, and the yacht 
about three quartres of a mile from her in the offing. 
Pickersgill had, of course, observed the motions of 
the yacht ; had seen her wear on chase, hoist her 
ensign and pendant, and fire her gun. 

" Well," said he, " this is the blackest ingratitude ; 
to be attacked by the very people whom we smuggle 
for. I only wish she may come up with us ; and, 
let her attempt to interfere, she shall rue the day : 
I don't much like this, though." 



PORTLAND BILL. 31 1 



As we before observed, it fell nearly calm, and the 
revenue boats were in chase. Pickersgill watched 
them as they came up. 

" What shall we do," said Corbett, — " get the boat 
out?" 

" Yes," replied Pickersgill, " we will get the boat 
out, and have the goods in her all ready : but we 
can pull faster than they do, in the first place ; and, 
in the next, they will be pretty well tired before 
they come up to us. We are fresh, and shall soon 
walk away from them; so I shall not leave the vessel 
till they are within half a mile. We must sink the 
ankers, that they may not seize the vessel, for it is 
not worth while taking them with us. Pass them 
along, ready to run them over the bows, that they 
may not see us and swear to it. But we have a 
good half hour and more." 

" Ay, and you may hold all fast if you choose," 
said Morrison, " although it 's better to be on the right 
side and get ready ; otherwise, before half an hour, I '11 
swear that we are out of their sight : look there," said 
he, pointing to the eastward at a heavy bank, "it's 
coming right down upon us, as I said it would." 

" True enough, but still there is no saying which 
will come first, Morrison ; the boats or the fog, so 
we must be prepared." 



312 PORTLAND BILL. 

" Hilloa ! what 's this ? why, there 's a boat coming 
from the yacht." 

Pickersgill took out his glass. 

" Yes, and the yacht's own boat, with the name 
painted on her bows. Well, let them come — we will 
have no ceremony in resisting them ; they are not in 
the act of Parliament, and must take the consequences. 
We have naught to fear. Get stretchers, my lads, and 
hand -spikes; they row six oars, and are three in the 
stern-sheets — they must be good men if they take us." 

In a few minutes Lord B. w T as close to the smuggler. 

"Boat, ahoy! what do you want?" 

" Surrender in the king's name." 

" To what, and to whom, and what are we to sur- 
render? We are an English vessel coasting along 
shore." 

"Pull on board, my lads," cried Stewart; "I am 
a king's officer — we know her." 

The boat darted alongside, and Stewart and Lord 
B., followed by the men, jumped on the deck. 

"Well, gentlemen, what do you want?" said Pick- 
ersgill. 

"We seize you — you are a smuggler; there's no 
denying it — look at the casks of spirits stretched 
along the deck." 

" We never said that we were not smugglers," 



PORTLAND BILL. 313 



replied Pickersgill; "but what is that to you? you 
are not a king's ship, or employed by the revenue." 

" No, but we carry a pendant, and it is our duty 
to protect the laws." 

" And who are you ? " said Pickersgill. 

"I am Lord B." 

" Then, my lord, allow me to say that you would 
do much better to attend to the framing of laws, and 
leave people of less consequence, like those astern of 
me, to execute them. ( Mind your own business,' 
is "au old adage. We shall not hurt you, my lord, 
as you have only employed words, but we shall put 
it out of your power to hurt us. Come aft, my lads. 
Now, my lord, resistance is useless; we are double 
your numbers, and you have caught a Tartar." 

Lord B. and Mr. Stewart perceived that they were 
in an awkward predicament. 

" You may do what you please," observed Mr. Stewart, 
" but the revenue boats are coming up, recollect." 

"Look you, sir, do you see the revenue cutter?" 



said Pickersgill. 










Stewart looked in that direction, 


and 


saw 


that she 


was hidden in the fog. 










" In five minutes, 


sir, the boat 


s w: 


[11 be 


out of 


sight also, and so will 


your vessel; 


we 


have 


nothing 


to fear from them. 











314 PORTLAND BILL. 



" Indeed, my lord, we had better return," said 
Mr. Stewart, who perceived that Pickersgill was right. 

"I beg your pardon, you will not go on board of 
your yacht so soon as you expect. Take the oars out 
of the boat, my lads, two or three of you, and throw in 
a couple of our paddles for them to reach the shore 
with. The rest of you knock down the first man who 
offers to resist. You are not aware, perhaps, my lord, 
that you have attempted piracy on the high seas." 

Stewart looked at Lord B. It was true enough. 
The men of the yacht could offer no resistance; the oars 
were taken out of the boat, and the men put in again. 

" My lord," said Pickersgill, " your boat is manned 
— do me the favour to step into it ; and you, sir, do the 
same. I should be sorry to lay my hands upon a peer 
of the realm, or a king's officer even on half pay." 

Remonstrance was vain; Ms lordship was led to the 
boat by two of the smugglers, and Stewart followed. 

"I will leave your oars, my lord, at the Wey- 
mouth custom-house ; and I trust this will be a 
lesson to you in future to 'mind your own business.'" 

The boat was shoved off from the sloop by the 
smugglers, and was soon lost sight of in the fog, which 
had now covered the revenue boats as well as the 
yacht; at the same time, it brought down a breeze 
from the eastward. 



PORTLAND BILL. 315 

" Haul to the wind, Morrison, " said Pickersgill, 
iC we will stand out to get rid of the boats ; if the y 
pull on, they will take it for granted that we shall run 
into the bay, as will the revenue cutter." 

Pickersgill and Corbett were in conversation abaft 
for a short time, when the former desired the course to 
be altered two points. 

" Keep silence all of you, mj lads, and let me 
know if you hear a gun or a bell from the yacht," 
said Pickersgill. 

" There is a gun, sir, close to us," said one of the 
men — " the sound was right ahead." 

" That will do, keep her as she goes. Aft here, 
my lads ; we cannot run our cargo in the bay, 
for the cutter has been seen to chase us, and they 
will all be on the look-out at the preventive stations 
for us on shore. Now, my lads, I have made up 
my mind that, as these yacht gentlemen have thought 
proper to interfere, that I will take possession of 
the yacht for a few days. We shall then outsail 
every thing, go where we like unsuspected, and 
land our cargo with ease. I shall run alongside 
of her — she can have but few hands on board ; 
and mind, do not hurt any body, but be civil and 
obey my orders. Morrison, you and your four 
men and the boy will remain on board as before, 



316 PORTLAND BILL. 

and take the vessel to Cherbourg, where we will 
join you." 

In a short time, another gun was fired from the 
yacht. Those on board, particularly the ladies, were 
alarmed; the fog was very thick, and they could not 
distinguish the length of the vessel. They had seen 
the boat board, but had not seen her turned adrift 
without oars, as the fog came on just at that time. 
The yacht was left with only three seamen on board, 
and, should it come on bad weather, they were in 
an awkward predicament. Mr, Hautaine had taken 
the command, and ordered the guns to be fired 
that the boat might be enabled to find them. The 
fourth gun was loading, when they perceived the 
smugglers' cutter close to them, looming through 
the fog. 

" Here they are," cried the seamen ; " and they 
have brought the prize along with them. Three cheers 
for the Arrow ! " 

" Hilloa ! you '11 be on board of us," cried Hau- 
taine. 

" That 's exactly what I intended to be, sir," replied 
Pickersgill, jumping on the quarter-deck, followed by 
his men. 

" Who the devil are you ? " 

" That 's exactly the same question that I asked 



PORTLAND BILL. 317 



replied Pickersgill, 
taking off his hat to the ladies. 

" Well but what business have you here ? " 
" Exactly the same question which I put to Lord B.," 
replied Pickersgill. 

" Where is Lord B., sir ? " said Cecilia Ossulton, 
going up to the smuggler ; " is he safe ? " 

" Yes, madam, he is safe ; at least he is in his boat 
with all his men, and unhurt — but you must excuse 
me, if I request you and the other ladies to go down 
below, while I speak to these gentlemen. Be under no 
alarm, miss; you will receive neither insult nor ill 
treatment — I have only taken possession of this vessel 
for the present." 

(i Take possession," cried Hautaine, " of a yacht ! " 
"Yes, sir, since the owner of the yacht thought 
proper to attempt to take possession of me. I always 
thought that yachts were pleasure-vessels, sailing about 
for amusement, respected themselves, and not inter- 
fering with others ; but it appears that such is not the 
case. The owner of this yacht has thought proper to 
break through the neutrality, and commence aggres- 
sion ; and, under such circumstances, I have now, 
in retaliation, taken possession of her." 

"And, pray, what do you 'mean to do, sir?" 

" Simply, for a few days to make an exchange. I 



318 PORTLAND BILL. 



shall send you on board of my vessel as smugglers, 
while I remain here with the ladies, and amuse myself 
with yachting." 

"Why, sir, you cannot mean " 

" I have said, gentlemen, and that is enough ; I 
should be sorry to resort to violence, but I must be 
obeyed. You have, I perceive, three seamen only left : 
they are not sufficient to take charge of the vessel, 
and Lord B. and the others you will not meet for 
several days. My regard for the ladies — even common 
humanity, points out to me that I cannot leave the 
vessel in this crippled condition. At the same time, 
as I must have hands on board of my own, you will 
oblige me by going on board, and taking her safely 
into port. It is the least return you can make for my 
kindness. In those dresses, gentlemen, you will not 
be able to do your duty ; oblige me by shifting, and 
putting on these." Corbett handed a flannel shirt, a 
rough jacket and trousers, to Messrs. Hautaine, Ossul- 
ton, Vaughan, and Seagrove. After some useless 
resistance they were stripped, and, having put on the 
smugglers' attire, they were handed on board of the 
Happy-go-lucky. 

The three English seamen were also sent on board, 
and confined below, as well as Ossulton's servant, who 
was also equipped like his master, and confined below 



/ 



PORTLAND BILL. 319 



with the seamen. Corbett and the men then handed up 
all the smuggled goods into the yacht, dropped the boat, 
and made it fast astern ; and, Morrison having received 
his directions, the vessels separated — Morrison running 
for Cherbourg, and Pickersgill steering the yacht along 
shore to the westward. About an hour after this 
exchange had been effected, the fog cleared up, and 
shewed the revenue cutter hove to for her boats, which 
had pulled back, and were close on board of her; and 
the Happy-go-lucky, about three miles in the offing, 
Lord B. and his boat's crew were about four miles in 
shore, paddling and drifting with the tide towards 
Portland. As soon as the boats were on board, the 
revenue cutter made all sail after the smuggler, paying 
no attention to the yacht, and either not seeing or not 
caring about the boat which was drifting about in 
West Bay. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE TRAVESTIE. 

" Here we are, Corbett, and now I only wish 
my venture had been double," observed Pickersgill; 
"but I shall not allow business to absorb me wholly 
— we must add a little amusement. It appears to 
me, Corbett, that the gentleman's clothes which lie 
there will fit you, and those of the good-looking 
fellow who was spokesman will, I am sure, suit me 
well. Now, let us dress ourselves, and then for 
breakfast." 

Pickersgill then exchanged his clothes for those of 
Mr. Hautaine, and Corbett fitted on those of Mr. 
Ossulton. The steward was summoned up, and he 
dared not disobey ; he appeared on deck, trembling. 

" Steward — you will take these clothes below," said 
Pickersgill, " and, observe, I now command this yacht ; 
and, during the time that I am on board, you will 
pay me the same respect as you did Lord B. ; nay, 
more, you will always address me as Lord B. You 
will prepare dinner and breakfast, and do your duty 









THE TRAVESTIE. 






321 


just 


as 


if his 


lordship 


was 


on 


board, 


and 


take 


care 



that you feed us well, for I will not allow the ladies 
to be entertained in a less sumptuous manner than 
before. — You will tell the cook what I say, — and now 
that you have heard me, take care that you obey ; 
if not, recollect that I have my own men here, and if 
I but point with my finger, overboard you go. — Do 
you perfectly comprehend me ? " 

" Yes, — sir," stammered the steward, 

u Yes, sir / — What did I tell you, sirrah ? — Yes, 
my lord. — Do you understand me ? " 

" Yes — my lord." 

"Pray, steward, whose clothes has this gentleman 
put on?" 

" Mr. — Mr. Ossulton's, I think — sir — my lord — I 
mean." 

" Very well, steward ; then recollect, in future you 
always address that gentleman as Mr. Ossulton." 

i( Yes, my lord," and the steward went down below, 
and was obliged to take a couple of glasses of brandy, 
to keep himself from fainting. 

" Who are they, and what are they ! Mr. Maddox ? " 
cried the lady's-maid, who had been weeping. 

"Pirates! — bloody, murderous, stick-at-nothing pirates!" 
replied the steward. 

" Oh ! " screamed the lady's-maid, " what will become 



322 THE TRAVESTIE. 



of us, poor unprotected females ; and she hastened 
into the cabin, to impart this dreadful intelligence. 

The ladies in the cabin were not in a very enviable 
situation. As for the elder Miss Ossulton, (but, per- 
haps, it will be better in future, to distinguish the two 
ladies, by calling the elder simply Miss Ossulton, and her 
niece, Cecilia,) she was sitting with her salts to her nose, 
agonised with a mixture of trepidation and wounded 
pride. Mrs. Lascelles was weeping, but weeping gently. 
Cecilia was sad, and her heart was beating with anxiety 
and suspense — when the maid rushed in. 

" Oh madam ! Oh miss ! Oh Mrs. Lascelles ! I 
have found it all out ! — they are murderous, bloody, 
do-eve ry-thing pirates ! ! ! " 

" Mercy on us ! " exclaimed Miss Ossulton, " surely 
they will never dare ?" 

" Oh ma'am, they dare any thing ! — they just now 
were throwing the steward overboard — and they have 
rummaged all the portmanteaus, and dressed themselves 
in the gentlemen's best clothes — the captain of them 
told the steward that he was Lord B. — and that if he 
dared to call him any thing else, he would cut his throat 
from ear to ear — and if the cook don't give them a good 
dinner, they swear that they '11 chop his right hand off, 
and make him eat it, without pepper or salt ! " 

Miss Ossulton screamed, and went off into hysterics. 



THE TRAVKSTIE. 323 

— Mrs. Lascelles and Cecilia went to her assistance; 
but the latter had not forgotten the very different 
behaviour of Jack Pickersgill, and his polite manners, 
when he boarded the vessel. She did not, therefore, 
believe what the maid had reported, but still her 
anxiety and suspense were great, especially about her 
father. After having restored her aunt, she put on 
her bonnet, which was lying on the sofa. 

" Where are you going, dear ? " said Mrs. Lascelles. 

" On deck," replied Cecilia ; " I must and will speak 
to these men." 

" Gracious heaven ! Miss Ossulton ; going on deck ! 
have you heard what Phcebe says ? " 

" Yes, aunt, I have — but I can wait here no longer." 

"Stop her! stop her! — she will be murdered! — she 
will be — she is mad ! " screamed Miss Ossulton ; but no 
one attempted to stop Cecilia, and on deck she went. 
On her arrival, she found Jack Pickersgill and Corbett 
walking the deck; one of the smugglers at the helm, 
and the rest forward, and as quiet as the crew of the 
yacht. As soon as she made her appearance, Jack took 
off his hat, and made her a bow. 

" I do not know whom I have the honour of address- 
ing, young lady! but I am nattered with this mark of 
confidence. — You feel, and I assure you, you feel 
correctly, that you are not exactly in lawless hands." 



324 THE TRAVESTIE. 



Cecilia looked with more surprise than fear at 
Pickersgill; Mr. Hautaine's dress became him, he was 
a handsome, fine-looking man, and had nothing of the 
ruffian in his appearance; unless, like Byron's Corsair, 
he was half savage, half soft. She could not help 
thinking that she had met many with less pretensions, 
as far as appearance went, to the claims of a gentleman 
at Almack's, and other fashionable circles. 

" I have ventured on deck, sir," said Cecilia, with a 
little tremulousness in her voice, " to request, as a 
favour, that you will inform me what your intentions 
may be, with regard to the vessel, and with regard to 
the ladies ? " 

" And I feel much obliged to you, for your so doing, 
and I assure you, I will, as far as I have made up my 
own mind, answer you candidly: but you tremble — 
allow me to conduct you to a seat. In few words, then, 
to remove your present alarm, I intend that the vessel 
shall be returned to its owner, with every article in it, 
as religiously respected as if they were church property. 
With respect to you, and the other ladies on board, 
I pledge you my honour, that you have nothing to 
fear; that you shall be treated with every respect; 
your privacy never invaded; and that, in a few days, 
you will be restored to your friends. Young lady, I 
pledge my hopes of future salvation to the truth of this ; 



THE TRAVESTIE. 325 



but, at the same time, I must make a few conditions, 
which, however, will not be very severe." 

" But, sir," replied Cecilia, much relieved, for Pick- 
ersgill had stood by her in the most respectful manner, 
" you are, I presume, the captain of the smuggler ? — 
Pray, answer me one question more — What became 
of the boat, with Lord B., — he is my father ? " 

" I left him in his boat, without a hair of his head 
touched, young lady ; but I took away the oars." 

il Then he will perish ! " cried Cecilia, putting her 
handkerchief to her eyes. 

" No, young lady, he is on shore probably by this 
time ; although I took away his means of assisting to 
capture us, I left him the means of gaining the land. 
It is not every one who would have done that, after his 
conduct to us." 

" I begged him not to go," said Cecilia ; " I told him 
that it was not fair, and that he had no quarrel with the 
smugglers." 

" I thank you even for that," replied Pickersgill ; 
" and now, miss — I have not the pleasure of recollecting 
his lordship's family name." 

" Ossulton, sir," said Cecilia, looking at Pickersgill 
with surprise. 

" Then, with your permission, Miss Ossulton, I will 
now make you my confidant ; excuse my using so free 



326 THE TR A VEST IE. 



a term, but it is because I wish to relieve your fears ; at 
the same time, I cannot permit you to divulge all my 
intentions to the whole party on board ; I feel that I may 
trust you, for you have courage, and where there is 
courage, there generally is truth ; but you must first tell 
me whether you will condescend to accept these terms?" 

Cecilia demurred a moment — the idea of being the 
confidant of a smuggler rather startled her ; but still, her 
knowledge of what his intentions were, if she might not 
reveal them, might be important ; as, perhaps, she might 
dissuade him. She could be in no worse position than 
she was now, and she might be in a much better. The 
conduct of Pickersgill had been such, up to the present, 
as to inspire confidence ; and, although he defied the 
laws, he appeared to regard the courtesies of life. Cecilia 
was a courageous girl, and at length she replied: — 

" Provided what you desire me to keep secret will 
not be injurious to any one, or compromise me, in my 
peculiar situation, I consent." 

" I would not hurt a fly, Miss Ossulton, but in self- 
defence, and I have too much respect for you, from your 
conduct during our short meeting, to compromise you. 
Allow me now to be very candid; and then, perhaps, 
you will acknowledge, that, in my situation, others would 
do the same ; and, perhaps, not show half so much for- 
bearance. Your father, without any right whatever, 



THE TRAVESTIE. 827 



interferes with me, and my calling ; he attempts to make 
me a prisoner, to have me thrown in jail, heavily fined, 
and, perhaps, sent out of the country, I will not enter 
into any defence of smuggling, it is sufficient to say that 
there are pains and penalties attached to the infraction 
of certain laws, and that I choose to risk them — but 
Lord B. was not empowered by government to attack 
me — it was a gratuitous act, and had I thrown him, and 
all his crew into the sea, I should have been justified, 
for it was in short, an act of piracy on their part. Now, 
as your father has thought to turn a yacht into a revenue 
cutter, you cannot be surprised at my retaliating, in 
turning her into a smuggler; and as he has mixed up 
looking after the revenue with yachting, he cannot be 
surprised if I retaliate, by mixing up a little yachting 
with smuggling. I have dressed your male companions 
as smugglers, and have sent them in the smuggling vessel 
to Cherbourg, where they will be safely landed ; and I 
have dressed myself, and the only person whom I could 
join with me in this frolic, as gentlemen, in their places. 
My object is twofold; one is, to land my cargo, which 
I have now on board, and which is very valuable ; the 
other is, to retaliate upon your father and his com- 
panions, for their attempt upon me, by stepping into 
their shoes, and enjoying, for a day or two, their luxuries. 
It is my intention to make free with nothing, but his 



328 THE TRAVESTIE. 



lordship's wine and eatables, — that you may be assured 
of; but I shall have no pleasure, if the ladies do not sit 
down to the dinner-table with us, as they did before 
with your father and his friends." 

" You can hardly expect that, sir," said Cecilia. 

" Yes, I do ; and that will be not only the price of the 
early release of the yacht and themselves, but it will 
also be the only means by which they will obtain any 
thing to eat. You observe, Miss Ossulton, the sins of 
the fathers are visited on the children. I have now 
told you what I mean to do, and what I wish. I leave 
you to think of it, and decide whether it will not be 
best for all parties to consent. You have my permission 
to tell the other ladies, that whatever may be their 
conduct, they are as secure from ill treatment or rude- 
ness, as if they were in Grosvenor Square ; but I cannot 
answer that they will not be hungry, if, after such 
forbearance in every point, they shew so little gratitude, 
as not to honour me with their company." 

" Then I am to understand, that we are to be starved 
into submission." 



"No, 


not starved, Miss Ossulton 


; but 


recollect, 


that 


you will be on 


bread and water, 


and 


detained 


until 


you do 


consent, 


and your detention wi 


1 increase 


the 


anxiety 


of your 


father." 








" You 


know 


how to persuade, 


sir," 


said Cecilia. 



THE TRAVESTIE. 329 



" As far as I am concerned, I trust I shall ever be 
ready to sacrifice any feelings of pride, to spare my 
father so much uneasiness. With your permission, I 
will now go down into the cabin, and relieve my com- 
panions from the worst of their fears. As for obtaining 
what you wish, I can only say, that, as a young person, 
I am not likely to have much influence with those 
older than myself, and must inevitably be overruled, 
as I have not permission to point out to them reasons 
which might avail. Would you so far allow me to be 
relieved from my promise, as to communicate all you 
have said to me, to the only married woman on board? 
I think I then might obtain your wishes, which, I must 
candidly tell you, I shall attempt to effect, only because 
I am most anxious to rejoin my friends." 

" And be relieved of my company," replied Pick- 
ersgill, smiling, ironically, — " of course you are ; but I 
must and will have my petty revenge; and although 
you may, and probably will detest me, at all events, 
you shall not have any very formidable charge to make 
against me. — Before you go below, Miss Ossulton, I 
give you my permission to add the married lady to the 
number of my confidants; and you must permit me 
to introduce my friend, Mr. Ossulton," and Pickersgill 
waved his hand in the direction of Corbett, who took 
off his hat, and made a low obeisance. 



330 THE TRAVESTIE. 



It was impossible for Cecilia Ossulton to help smiling. 

" And," continued Pickersgill, " having taken the 
command of this yacht, instead of his lordship, it is 
absolutely necessary that I also take his lordship's 
name. While on board I am Lord B. ; and allow me 
to introduce myself under that name — I cannot be 
addressed otherwise. Depend upon it, Miss Ossulton, 
that I shall have a most paternal solicitude to make 
you happy and comfortable." 

Had Cecilia Ossulton dared to have given vent to 
her real feelings at that time, she would have burst into 
a fit of laughter, it was too ludicrous. At the same 
time the very burlesque reassured her still more. She 
went into the cabin with a heavy weight removed from 
her heart. 

In the meantime, Miss Ossulton and Mrs. Lascelles 
remained below, in the greatest anxiety at Cecilia's pro- 
longed stay ; they knew not what to think, and dared 
not go on deck. Mrs. Lascelles had once determined 
at all risks to go up; but Miss Ossulton and Phoebe 
had screamed, and implored her so fervently not to 
leave them, that she unwillingly consented to remain. 
Cecilia's countenance, when she entered the cabin, 
reassured Mrs. Lascelles, but not her aunt, who ran to 
her, crying and sobbing, and clinging to her, saying, 
" What have they done to you, my poor, poor Cecilia ?" 



THE TRAVESTIE. 331 



" Nothing at all, aunt ; " replied Cecilia, " the cap- 
tain speaks very fairly, and says that he shall respect 
us in every possible way, provided that we obey his 
orders, but if not " 

"If not — what, Cecilia?" said Miss Ossulton, grasp- 
ing her niece's arm. 

" He will starve us, and not let us go ! " 

" God have mercy on us ! " — cried Miss Ossulton, 
renewing her sobs. 

Cecilia then went to Mrs. Lascelles, and communi- 
cated to her, apart, all that had passed. Mrs. Lascelles 
agreed with Cecilia, that they were in no danger of 
insult ; and as they talked over the matter, they at last 
began to laugh; there was a novelty in it, and there 
was something so ridiculous in all the gentlemen being 
turned into smugglers. Cecilia was glad that she could 
not tell her aunt, as she wished her to be so frightened, 
as never to have her company on board of the yacht 
again; and Mrs. Lascelles was too glad to annoy her 
for many and various insults received. The matter 
was, therefore, canvassed over very satisfactorily, and 
Mrs. Lascelles felt a natural curiosity to see this new 
Lord B. and the second Mr. Ossulton. But they had 
had no breakfast, and were feeling very hungry, now 
that their alarm was over. They desired Phoebe to 
ask the steward for some tea or coffee. The reply was, 



332 THE TRAVESTIE. 



that "Breakfast was laid in the cabin, and Lord B. 
trusted that the ladies would come to partake of it." 

" No, no," replied Mrs. Lascelles, " I never can, 
without being introduced to them first." 

" Nor will I go," replied Cecilia, " but I will write 
a note, and we will have our breakfast here." Cecilia 
wrote a note in pencil as follows. 

" Miss Ossulton's compliments to Lord B., and, as 
the ladies feel rather indisposed after the alarm of this 
morning, they trust that his lordship will excuse their 
coming to breakfast; but hope to meet his lordship at 
dinner, if not before that time, on deck." 

" The answer was propitious, and the steward soon 
appeared with the breakfast in the ladies' cabin. 

"Well Maddox," said Cecilia, "how do you get on 
with your new master?" 

The steward looked at the door to see if it was closed, 
shook his head, and then said with a look of despair, 
" He has ordered a haunch of venison for dinner, miss, 
and he has twice threatened to toss me overboard." 

" You must obey him, Maddox, or he certainly will. 
These pirates are dreadful fellows; be attentive, and 
serve him just as if he was my father." 

" Yes, yes, ma'am, I will, but our time may come ; 
it 's hurglary on the high seas, and I '11 go fifty miles to 
see him hanged." 



THE TRAVESTIE. 333 



" Steward ! " cried Pickersgill, from the cabin. 

" O, lord ! he can't have heard me — d'ye think he 
did, miss?" 

" The partitions are very thin, and you spoke very 
loud," said Mrs. Lascelles ; " at all events, go to him 
quickly." 

" Good bye, miss ; good bye, ma'am ; if I shouldn't 
see you any more," said Maddox, trembling with fear, 
as he obeyed the awful summons — which was to de- 
mand a toothpick. 

Miss Ossulton would not touch the breakfast; not 
so Mrs. Lascelles and Cecilia, who ate very heartily. 

" It 's very dull to be shut up in this cabin," said 
Mrs. Lascelles ; " come, Cecilia, let 's go on deck." 

" And leave me," cried Miss Ossulton. 

" There is Phoebe here, aunt ; we are going up to 
persuade the pirates to put us all on shore." 

Mrs. Lascelles and Cecilia put on their bonnets and 
went up. Lord B. took off his hat, and begged the 
honour of being introduced to the pretty widow. He 
handed the ladies to a seat, and then commenced con- 
versing upon various subjects, which, at the same time 
possessed great novelty. His lordship talked about 
France, and described its ports; told now and then a 
good anecdote ; pointed out the different headlands, 
bays, towns, and villages, which they were passing 



334 THE TRAVESTIE. 



rapidly, and always had some little story connected 
with each. Before the ladies had been two hours on 
deck, they found themselves, to their infinite surprise, 
not only interested, but in conversation with the captain 
of the smuggler, and more than once they laughed 
outright. But the soi-disant Lord B. had inspired them 
with confidence ; they fully believed that what he had 
told them was true, and that he had taken possession 
of the yacht to smuggle his goods, to be revenged, and 
to have a laugh. Now none of these three offences are 
capital in the eyes of the fair sex; and Jack was a 
handsome, fine-looking fellow, of excellent manners, 
and very agreeable conversation, at the same time, 
neither he nor his friend were in their general deport- 
ment or behaviour otherwise than most respectful. 

"Ladies, as you are not afraid of me, which is a 
greater happiness than I had reason to expect, I think 
you may be amused to witness the fear of those who 
accuse your sex of cowardice. With your permission, 
I will send for the cook and steward, and inquire 
about the dinner ? " 

" I should like to know what there is for dinner," ob- 
served Mrs. Lascelles demurely; "would n't you Cecilia?" 

Cecilia put her handkerchief to her mouth. 

" Tell the steward and the cook both to come aft 
immediately," cried Pickersgill. 



THE TRAVESTIE. 335 



In a few seconds they both made their appearance. 
" Steward ! " cried Pickersgill, with a loud voice. 
"Yes, my lord/' replied Maddox, with his hat in 
his hand. 

" What wines have you put out for dinner ? " 
" Champagne, my lord ; and claret, my lord ; and 
Madeira and sherry, my lord." 
" No Burgundy, sir ? " 

" No, my lord ; there is no Burgundy on board." 
" No Burgundy, sir ! do you dare to tell me that ? " 
" Upon my soul, my lord," cried Maddox, dropping 
on his knees, "there is no Burgundy on board — ask 
the ladies." 

" Very well, sir ; you may go." 
" Cook, what have you got for dinner ? " 
" Sir, a haunch of mutt — of venison, my lord," 
replied the cook, with his white night-cap in his hand. 
" What else, sirrah ? " 
" A boiled calf's head, my lord." 
" A boiled calf's head ? Let it be roasted, or I '11 
roast you, sir," cried Pickersgill in an angiy tone. 
" Yes, my lord ; 1 11 roast it." 
" And what else, sir ? " 
" Maintenon cutlets, my lord." 

" Maintenon cutlets ! I hate them — I won't have 
them, sir. Let them be dressed a V ombre Chinoise" 



336 THE TRAVESTIE. 



" I don 't know what that is, my lord." 

" I don 't care for that, sirrah ; if you don 't find 
out by dinner-time, you 're food for fishes — that 's all : 
you may go." 

The cook walked off wringing his hands and his 
night-cap as well — for he still held it in his right hand 
— and disappeared down the fore-hatchway. 

" I have done this to pay you a deserved compliment, 
ladies ; you have more courage than the other sex." 

" Recollect that we have had confidence given to us 
in consequence of your pledging your word, my lord." 

" You do me, then, the honour of believing me." 

" I did not until I saw you," replied Mrs. Lascelles ; 
"but now I am convinced that you will perform your 
promise." 

" You do, indeed, encourage me, madam, to pursue 
what is right," said Pickersgill, bowing; "for your 
approbation I should be most sorry to lose, still more 
sorry to prove myself unworthy of it." 

As the reader will observe, every thing was going on 
remarkably well. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 

Cecilia returned to the cabin, to ascertain whether her 
aunt was more composed ; but Mrs. Lascelles remained 
on deck. She was much pleased with Pickersgill ; and 
they continued their conversation. Pickersgill entered 
into a defence of his conduct to Lord B. ; and Mrs. 
Lascelles could not but admit the provocation. After a 
long conversation, she hinted at his profession, and how 
superior he appeared to be to such a lawless life. 

" You maybe incredulous, madam," replied Pickersgill, 
" if I tell you that I have as good a right to quarter my 
arms as Lord B. himself; and that I am not under my 
real name. Smuggling is, at all events, no crime ; and 
I infinitely prefer the wild life I lead at the head of my 
men, to being spurned by society because I am poor. 
The greatest crime in this country is poverty. I may, 
if I am fortunate, some day resume my name. You 
may, perhaps, meet me, and, if you please, you may 
expose me." 

" That I should not be likely to do," replied the 



widow ; " but still I regret to see a person, evidently 
intended for better things, employed in so disreputable 
a profession." 

" I hardly know, madam, what is and what is not 
disreputable in this conventional world. It is not 
considered disreputable to cringe to the vices of a court, 
or to accept a pension, wrung from the industry of 
the nation, in return for base servility. It is not 
considered disreputable to take tithes, intended for 
the service of God, and lavish them away at watering- 
places or elsewhere, seeking pleasure instead of doing 
God service. It is not considered disreputable to take 
fee after fee to uphold injustice, to plead against 
innocence, to pervert truth, and to aid the devil. It 
is not considered disreputable to gamble on the stock 
exchange, or to corrupt the honesty of electors by bribes, 
to doing which the penalty attached is equal to that 
decreed to the offence of which I am guilty. All these, 
and much more, are not considered disreputable ; yet, 
by all these are the moral bonds of society loosened, 
while in mine we cause no guilt in others " 

" But still it is a crime." 

"A violation of the revenue laws, and no more. 
Observe, madam, the English government encourage 
the smuggling of our manufactures to the Continent, 
at the same time that they take every step to prevent 



THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 339 

articles being smuggled into this country. Now, 
madam, can that be a crime, when the head of the 
vessel is turned north, which becomes no crime when 
she steers the opposite way?" 

" There is a stigma attached to it, you must allow." 

" That I grant you, madam ; and as soon as I can 
quit the profession I shall. No captive ever sighed 
more to be released from his chains; but I will not 
leave it, till I find that I am in a situation not to be 
spurned and neglected by those with whom I have a 
right to associate." 

At this moment, the steward was seen forward 
making signs to Mrs. Lascelles, who excused herself, 
and went to him. 

" For the love of God, madam," said Maddox, " as 
he appears to be friendly with you, do pray find out 
how these cutlets are to be dressed ; the cook is 
tearing his hair, and we shall never have any dinner; 
and then it will all fall upon me, and I — shall be 
tossed overboard." 

Mrs. Lascelles desired poor Maddox to wait there 
while she obtained the desired information. In a few 
minutes she returned to him. 

" I have found it out. They are first to be boiled 
in vinegar; then fried in batter, and served up with 
a sauce of anchovy and Malaga raisins." 



340 THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 

" First fried in vinegar ; then boiled in batter, and 
served up with the almonds and raisins," 

" No — no ! " Mrs. Lascelles repeated the injunction 
to the frightened steward; and then returned aft, and 
re-entered into a conversation with Pickersgill, in which, 
for the first time, Corbett now joined. Corbett had 
sense enough to feel, that the less he came forward until 
his superior had established himself in the good graces 
of the ladies, the more favourable would be the result. 

In the mean time Cecilia had gone down to her 
aunt, who still continued to wail and lament. The 
young lady tried all she could to console her, and to 
persuade her that if they were civil and obedient they 
had nothing to fear. 

" Civil and obedient, indeed ! " cried Miss Ossulton, 
" to a fellow who is a smuggler and a pirate. I, the sister 
of Lord B. Never ! The presumption of the wretch ! " 

" That is all very well, aunt ; but recollect, we must 
submit to circumstances. These men insist upon our 
dining with them ; and we must go, or we shall have 
no dinner." 

" I sit down with a pirate ! Never ! I '11 have no 
dinner — I '11 starve — I '11 die ! " 

" But, my dear aunt, it 's the only chance we have of 
obtaining our release ; and if you do not do it, Mrs. 
Lascelles will think that you wish to remain with them." 



THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 341 

" Mrs. Lascelles judges of other people by herself." 

" The captain is certainly a very well-behaved, 
handsome man. He looks like a nobleman in dis- 
guise. What an odd thing it would be, aunt, if this 
should be all a hoax ? " 

" A hoax, child ? " replied Miss Ossulton, sitting up 
on the sofa. 

Cecilia found that she had hit the right nail, as the 
saying is ; and she brought forward so many arguments 
to prove that she thought it was a hoax to frighten 
them, and that the gentleman above was a man of con- 
sequence, that her aunt began to listen to reason, and 
at last consented to join the dinner-party. Mrs. Las- 
celles now came down below; and when dinner was 
announced, they repaired to the large cabin, where 
they found Pickersgill and Corbett waiting for them. 

Miss Ossulton did not venture to look up, until she 
heard Pickersgill say to Mrs. Lascelles, "Perhaps, 
madam, you will do me the favour to introduce me to that 
lady, whom I have not had the honour of seeing before?" 

" Certainly, my lord," replied Mrs. Lascelles ; " Miss 
Ossulton, the aunt of this young lady." 

Mrs. Lascelles purposely did not introduce his lord- 
ship in return, that she might mystify the old spinster. 

"I feel highly honoured in finding myself in the 
company of Miss Ossulton," said Pickersgill. " Ladies, 



342 THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 

we wait but for you to sit down. Ossulton, take the 
head of the table, and serve the soup." 

Miss Ossulton was astonished; she looked at the 
smugglers, and perceived two well-dressed gentlemanly 
men, one of whom was apparently a lord, and the other 
having the same family name. 

" It must be all a hoax," thought she ; and she 
very quietly took to her soup. 

The dinner passed off very pleasantly; Pickersgill 
was agreeable, Corbett funny, and Miss Ossulton so far 
recovered herself as to drink wine with his Lordship, 
and to ask Corbett what branch of their family he 
belonged to. 

" I presume it 's the Irish branch," said Mrs. Las- 
celles, prompting him. 

"Exactly, madam," replied Corbett. 

" Have you ever been to Torquay, ladies ? " inquired 
Pickersgill. 

" No, my lord," answered Mrs. Lascelles. 

(i We shall anchor there in the course of an hour, 
and probably remain there till to-morrow. Steward, 
bring coffee. Tell the cook these cutlets were remark- 
ably well dressed." 

The ladies retired to their cabin. Miss Ossulton was 
now convinced that it was all a hoax ; but said she, 
" I shall tell Lord B. my opinion of their practical 



THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 343 



jokes when he returns. What is his lordship's name 
who is on board ? " 

" He won 't tell us," replied Mrs. Lascelles ; " but 
I think I know ; it is Lord Blarney." 

" Lord Blaney you mean, I presume," said Miss 
Ossulton ; " however, the thing is carried too far. 
Cecilia, we will go on shore at Torquay, and wait till 
the yacht returns with Lord B. I don't like these 
jokes : they may do very well for widows, and people of 
no rank." 

Now, Mrs. Lascelles was sorry to find Miss Ossulton 
so much at her ease. She owed her no little spite, and 
wished for revenge. Ladies will go very far to obtain 
this. How far Mrs. Lascelles would have gone, I will 
not pretend to say; but this is certain, that the last 
innuendo of Miss Ossulton very much added to her 
determination. She took her bonnet and went on deck, 
at once told Pickersgill that he could not please her or 
Cecilia more than by frightening Miss Ossulton, who, 
under the idea that it was all a hoax, had quite 
recovered her spirits ; talked of her pride and ill-nature, 
and wished her to receive a useful lesson. Thus, to 
follow up her revenge, did Mrs. Lascelles commit herself 
so far, as to be confidential with the smuggler in return. 
"Mrs. Lascelles, I shall be able to obey you, and, 
at the same time, to combine business with pleasure." 



344 THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 

After a short conversation, the yacht dropped her 
anchor at Torquay. It was then about two hours before 
sunset. As soon as the sails were furled, one or two 
gentlemen, who resided there, came on board to pay 
their respects to Lord B. ; and, as Pickersgill had found 
out from Cecilia that her father was acquainted with no 
one there, he received them in person ; asked them 
down in the cabin ; called for wine ; and desired them 
to send their boat away, as his own was going on shore. 
The smugglers took great care, that the steward, cook, 
and lady's maid, should have no communication with 
the guests ; one of them, by Corbett's direction, being a 
sentinel over each individual. The gentlemen remained 
about half-an-hour on board, during which Corbett and 
the smugglers had filled the portmanteaus found in the 
cabin with the lace, and they were put in the boat, 
Corbett then landed the gentlemen in the same boat, 
and went up to the hotel, the smugglers following him 
with the portmanteaus, without any suspicion or 
interruption. As soon as he was there, he ordered post- 
horses, and set off for a town close by, where he had 
correspondents; and thus the major part of the cargo 
was secured. Corbett then returned in the night, 
bringing with him people to receive the goods ; and the 
smugglers landed the silks, teas, &c. with the same good 
fortune. Every thing was out of the yacht except a 



THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 345 

portion of the lace, which the portmanteaus would not 
hold. Pickersgill might easily have sent this on shore ; 
but, to please Mrs. Lascelles, he arranged otherwise. 

The next morning, about an hour after breakfast 
was finished, Mrs. Lascelles entered the cabin pre- 
tending to be in the greatest consternation, and fell 
on the sofa, as if she were going to faint. 

" Good heavens ! what is the matter ? " exclaimed 
Cecilia, who knew very well what was coming. 

" Oh, the wretch ! he has made such proposals." 

" Proposals ! what proposals ? what ! Lord Blaney ? " 
cried Miss Ossulton. 

" Oh, he 's no lord ; he 's a villain and a smuggler : 
and he insists that we shall both fill our pockets full 
of lace, and go on shore with him." 

" Mercy on me ! then it is no hoax after all ; and 
I 've been sitting down to dinner with a smuggler ! " 

" Sitting down, madam ! — if it were to be no more 
than that — but we are to take his arm up to the hotel. 
Oh, dear ! Cecilia, I am ordered on deck, pray come 
with me." 

Miss Ossulton rolled on the sofa, and rang for 
Phcebe ; she was in a state of great alarm. 

A knock at the door. 

" Come in," said Miss Ossulton, thinking it was 
Phcebe ; when Pickersgill made his appearance. 



346 THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 

" What do you want, sir ? go out, sir ! go out 
directly, or I'll scream." 

"It is no use screaming, madam; recollect that 
all on board are at my service. You will oblige me by 
listening to me, Miss Ossulton. I am, as you know, 
a smuggler, and I must send this lace on shore. You 
will oblige me by putting it into your pockets, or about 
your person, and prepare to go on shore with me. 
As soon as we arrive at the hotel, you will deliver it 
to me, and I then shall reconduct you on board of the 
yacht. You are not the first lady who has gone on 
shore with contraband articles about her person." 

"Me, sir, go on shore in that way? no, sir, 
never ! what will the world say ? the Hon. Miss Ossul- 
ton walking with a smuggler ! No, sir, never ! " 

" Yes, madam, walking arm-and-arm with a smug- 
gler : I shall have you on one arm, and Mrs. Lascelles 
on the other ; and I would advise you to take it very 
quietly, for, in the first place, it will be you who 
smuggle, as the goods will be found on your person, and 
you will certainly be put in prison, for, at the least 
appearance of insubordination, we run and inform against 
you; and, further, your niece will remain on board as 
a hostage for your good behaviour, and if you have any 
regard for her liberty, you will consent immediately." 

Pickersgill left the cabin, and shortly afterwards 



THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 347 

Cecilia and Mrs. Lascelles entered, apparently much 
distressed. They had been informed of all, and Mrs. 
Lascelles declared, that, for her part, sooner than leave 
her poor Cecilia to the mercy of such people, she had 
made up her mind to submit to the smuggler's de- 
mands. Cecilia also begged so earnestly, that Miss 
Ossulton, who had no idea that it was a trick, with 
much sobbing and blubbering, consented. 

When all was ready, Cecilia left the cabin ; Pick- 
ersgill came down, handed up the two ladies, who had 
not exchanged a word with each other during Cecilia's 
absence; the boat was ready alongside, they went in, 
and pulled on shore. Every thing succeeded to the 
smuggler's satisfaction. Miss Ossulton, frightened out 
of her wits, took his arm ; and, with Mrs. Lascelles on 
the other, they went up to the hotel, followed by four 
of his boat's crew. As soon as they were shewn into a 
room, Corbett, who was already on shore, asked for 
Lord B., and joined them. The ladies retired to 
another apartment, divested themselves of their con- 
traband goods, and, after calling for some sandwiches 
and wine, Pickersgill waited an hour, and then 
returned on board. Mrs. Lascelles was triumphant; 
and she rewarded her new ally, the smuggler, with one 
of her sweetest smiles. Community of interest will 
sometimes make strange friendships. 



CHAPTER VII. 

CONCLUSION. 

We must now return to the other parties who have 
assisted in the acts of this little drama. Lord B., after 
paddling and paddling, the men relieving each other in 
order to make head against the wind which was off 
shore, arrived about midnight at a small town in West 
Bay, from whence he took a chaise on to Portsmouth, 
taking it for granted that his yacht would arrive as soon 
as, if not before himself, little imagining that it was in 
possession of the smugglers. There he remained three 
or four days, when, becoming impatient, he applied to 
one of his friends who had a yacht at Cowes, and 
sailed with him to look after his own. 

We left the Happy-go-lucky chased by the revenue 
cutter. At first the smuggler had the advantage before 
the wind; but, by degrees, the wind went round with 
the sun, and brought the revenue cutter to leeward ; it 
was then a chase on a wind, and the revenue cutter 
came fast up with her. 

Morrison perceiving that he had no chance of escape, 



CONCLUSION. 349 



let run the ankers of brandy that he might not be 
condemned ; but still he was in an awkward situation, 
as he had more men on board than allowed by act of 
Parliament. He therefore stood on, notwithstanding 
the shot of the cutter went over and over him, hoping 
that a fog or night might enable him to escape ; but he 
had no such good fortune, — one of the shot carried 
away the head of his mast, and the Happy-go-lucky's 
luck was all over. He was boarded and taken pos- 
session of; he asserted that the extra men were only 
passengers; but, in the first place, they were dressed 
in seamen's clothes ; and, in the second, as soon as the 
boat was aboard of her, Appleboy had gone down to his 
gin toddy, and was not to be disturbed. The gentle- 
men smugglers therefore passed an uncomfortable 
night; and the cutter going to Portland by daylight 
before Appleboy was out of bed, they were taken on 
shore to the magistrate. Hautaine explained the 
whole affair, and they were immediately released and 
treated with respect; but they were not permitted to 
depart until they were bound over to appear against 
the smugglers, and prove the brandy having been on 
board. They then set off for Portsmouth in the sea- 
men's clothes, having had quite enough of yachting 
for that season, Mr. Ossulton declaring that he only 
wanted to get his luggage, and then he would take 



350 CONCLUSION. 



care how he put himself again in the way of the shot 
of a revenue cruiser, or of sleeping a night on her decks. 

In the meantime, Morrison and his men were locked 
up in the jail, the old man, as the key was turned 
on him, exclaiming, as he raised his foot in vexation, 
" That cursed blue pigeon ! " 

We will now return to the yacht. 

About an hour after Pickersgill had come on board, 
Corbett had made all his arrangements and followed 
him. It was not advisable to remain at Torquay any 
longer, through fear of discovery ; he, therefore, 
weighed the anchor before dinner, and made sail. 

" What do you intend to do now, my lord," said 
Mrs. Lascelles. 

"I intend to run down to Cowes, anchor the yacht 
in the night; and an hour before daylight have you in 
my boat with all my men. I will take care that you 
are in perfect safety, depend upon it, even if I run a 
risk. I should, indeed, be miserable, if, through my 
wild freaks, any accident should happen to Mrs. Las- 
celles or Miss Ossulton." 

" I am very anxious about my father," observed 
Cecilia. "I trust that you will keep your promise." 

" I always have hitherto, Miss Ossulton ; have I not ?" 

" Ours is but a short and strange acquaintance." 

" I grant it ; but it will serve for you to talk about long 



CONCLUSION. 351 



after. I shall disappear as suddenly as I have come — you 
will neither of you, in all probability, ever see me again." 
The dinner was announced, and they sat down to 
table as before ; but the elderly spinster refused to 
make her appearance ; and Mrs. Lascelles and Cecilia, 
who thought she had been frightened enough, did not 
attempt to force her. Pickersgill immediately yielded to 
these remonstrances, and, from that time, she remained 
undisturbed in the ladies' cabin, meditating over the 
indignity of having sat down to table, having drank wine, 
and been obliged to walk on shore, taking the arm of a 
smuggler, and appear in such a humiliating situation. 

The wind was light, and they made but little pro- 
gress, and were not abreast of Portland till the second 
day, when another yacht appeared in sight, and the 
two vessels slowly neared until in the afternoon they 
were within four miles of each other. It then fell a 
dead calm — signals were thrown out by the other 
yacht, but could not be distinguished, and, for the last 
time, they sat down to dinner. Three days' companion- 
ship on board of a vessel, cooped up together, and 
having no one else to converse with, will produce 
intimacy ; and Pickersgill was a young man of so much 
originality and information, that he was listened to with 
pleasure. He never attempted to advance beyond the 
line of strict decorum and politeness ; and his companion 



352 CONCLUSION. 



was equally unpresuming. Situated as they were, and 
feeling what must have been the case had they fallen 
into other hands, both Cecilia and Mrs. Lascelles felt 
some degree of gratitude towards him; and, although 
anxious to be relieved from so strange a position, they 
had gradually acquired a perfect confidence in him, and 
this had produced a degree of familiarity, on their parts, 
although never ventured upon by the smuggler. As 
Corbett was at the table, one of the men came down 
and made a sign. Corbett shortly after quitted the 
table and went on deck. " I wish, my lord, you 
would come up a moment, and see if you can make 
this flag out," said Corbett, giving a significant nod to 
Pickersgill. " Excuse me, ladies, one moment," said 
Pickersgill, who went on deck. 

" It is the boat of the yacht coming on board," said 
Corbett; "and Lord B. is in the stern-sheets with the 
gentleman who was with him." 

" And how many men in the boat ? — let me see — 
only four. Well, let his lordship and his friend come : 
when they are on the deck, have the men ready in case 
of accident ; but if you can manage to tell the boat's 
crew that they are to go on board again, and get rid of 
them that way, so much the better. Arrange this with 
Adams, and then come down again — his lordship must 
see us all at dinner." 



CONCLUSION. 353 



Pickersgill then descended, and Corbett had hardly 
time to give his directions and to resume his seat, 
before his lordship and Mr. Stewart pulled up along- 
side and jumped on deck. There was no one to receive 
them but the seamen, and those whom they did not 
know. They looked around in amazement; at last his 
lordship said to Adams, who stood forward, 

" What men are you ? " 

" Belong to the yacht, ye'r honour." 

Lord B. heard laughing in the cabin : he would 
not wait to interrogate the men ; he walked aft, fol- 
lowed by Mr. Stewart, looked down the skylight, and 
perceived his daughter and Mrs. Lascelles with, as he 
supposed, Hautaine and Ossulton. 

Pickersgill had heard the boat rub the side, and 
the sound of the feet on deck, and he talked the more 
loudly that the ladies might be caught by Lord B. as 
they were. He heard their feet at the skylight, and 
knew that they could hear what passed; and at that 
moment he proposed to the ladies that as this was their 
last meeting at table they should all take a glass of cham- 
pagne to drink to " their happy meeting with Lord B." 
This was a toast which they did not refuse. Maddox 
poured out the wine, and they were all bowing to each 
other, when his lordship, who had come down the ladder, 
walked into the cabin, followed by Mr. Stewart. Cecilia 



354 CONCLUSION. 



perceived her father; the champagne -glass dropped from 
her hand — she flew into his arms, and burst into tears. 

"Who would not be a father, Mrs. Lascelles," said 
Pickersgill, quietly seating himself, after having first 
risen to receive Lord B. 

" And pray, whom may I have the honour of find- 
ing established here ? " said Lord B. in an angry tone, 
speaking over his daughter's head, who still lay in his 
arms. " By heavens, yes ! — Stewart, it is the smuggling 
captain dressed out." 

" Even so, my lord," replied Pickersgill. " You 
abandoned your yacht to capture me; you left these 
ladies in a vessel crippled for want of men : they might 
have been lost. I have returned good for evil by 
coming on board with my own people, and taking charge 
of them. This night, I expected to have anchored 
your vessel in Cowes, and have left them in safety." 

"By the " cried Stewart. 

"Stop, sir, if you please!" cried Pickersgill; "recollect 
you have once already attacked one who never offended. 
Oblige me by refraining from intemperate language ; 
for I tell you I will not put up with it. Recollect, sir, 
that I have refrained from that, and also from taking 
advantage of you when you were in my power. Recol- 
lect, sir, also, that the yacht is still in possession of the 
smugglers, and that you are in no condition to insult 



CONCLUSION. 355 



with impunity. My lord, allow me to observe, that we 
men are too hot of temperament to argue, or listen 
coolly. With your permission, your friend, and my 
friend, and I, will repair on deck, leaving you to hear 
from your daughter and that lady all that has passed. 
After that, my lord, I shall be most happy to hear any 
thing which your lordship may please to say." 

" Upon my word " commenced Mr. Stewart. 

"Mr. Stewart," interrupted Cecilia Ossulton, "I 
request your silence; nay, more, if ever we are again 
to sail in the same vessel together, I insist upon it." 

"Your lordship will oblige me by enforcing Miss 
Ossulton's request," said Mrs. Lascelles. 

Mr. Stewart was dumbfounded, no wonder, to find 
the ladies siding with the smuggler. 

"I am obliged to you ladies for your interference," 
said Pickersgill; "for, although I have the means of 
enforcing conditions, I should be sorry to avail myself 
of them. I wait for his lordship's reply." 

Lord B. was very much surprised. He wished for 
an explanation ;.. he bowed with hauteur. Every body 
appeared to be in a false position; even he, Lord B., 
somehow or another, had bowed to a smuggler. 

Pickersgill and Stewart went on deck, walking up 
and down, crossing each other without speaking, but 
reminding you of two dogs who both are anxious to 



356 CONCLUSION. 



fight, but have been restrained by the voice of their 
masters. Corbett followed, and talked in a low tone to 
Pickersgill ; Stewart went over to leeward to see if the 
boat was still alongside, but it had long before returned 
to the yacht. Miss Ossulton had heard her brother's 
voice, but did not come out of the after-cabin ; she wished 
to be magnificent ; and, at the same time, she was not 
sure whether all was right, Phoebe having informed her 
that there was nobody with her brother and Mr. Stewart, 
and that the smugglers still had the command of the 
vessel. After a while, Pickersgill and Corbett went 
down forward, and returned dressed in the smugglers' 
clothes, when they resumed their walk on the deck. 

In the meantime, it was dark ; the cutter flew along 
the coast; and the Needles' lights were on the larboard 
bow. The conversation between Cecilia, Mrs. Lascelles, 
and her father, was long. When all had been detailed, 
and the conduct of Pickersgill duly represented, Lord 
B. acknowledged that, by attacking the smuggler, he 
had laid himself open to retaliation ; that Pickersgill had 
shewn a great deal of forbearance in every instance ; and, 
after all, had he not gone on board the yacht she might 
have been lost, with only three seamen on board. He 
was amused with the smuggling and the fright of his 
sister; still more, with the gentlemen being sent* to 
Cherbourg; and much consoled that he was not the 



CONCLUSION. 357 



only one to be laughed at. He was also much pleased 
with Pickersgill's intention of leaving the yacht safe 
in Cowes harbour, his respect to the property on board, 
and his conduct to the ladies. On the whole, he felt 
grateful to Pickersgill; and where there is gratitude, 
there is always good will. 

"But who can he be?" said Mrs. Lascelles, "his 
name he acknowledges not to be Pickersgill; and he 
told me confidentially that he was of good family." 

" Confidentially! my dear Mrs. Lascelles," said Lord B. 

" Oh, yes ! we are both his confidants. Are we not, 
Cecilia?" 

" Upon my honour, Mrs. Lascelles, this smuggler 
appears to have made an impression which many have 
attempted in vain." 

Mrs. Lascelles did not reply to that remark, but 
said, " Now, my lord, you must decide ; and I trust 
you will to oblige us — treat him as he has treated us, 
with the greatest respect and kindness." 

" Why should you suppose otherwise ? " replied Lord 
B. ; "it is not only my wish, but my interest so to do. 
He may take us over to France to-night, or any where 
else. Has he not possession of the vessel ? " 

" Yes," replied Cecilia ; " but we natter ourselves that 
we have the command. Shall we call him down, papa? " 

" Ring for Maddox. Maddox, tell Mr. Pickersgill, 



358 CONCLUSION. 



who is on deck, that I wish to speak with him, and 
shall be obliged by his stepping down into the cabin." 
" Who, my lord ? What ! Him ? " 
" Yes, him" replied Cecilia, laughing. 
" Must I call him, my lord, now, miss?" 
" You may do as you please, Maddox; but recollect, 
he still is in possession of the vessel," replied Cecilia. 
" Then, with your lordship's permission, I will ; it 's 
the safest way." 

The smuggler entered the cabin; the ladies started 
as he appeared in his rough costume, with his throat 
open, and his loose black handkerchief. He was the 
beau-ideal of a handsome sailor. 

li Your lordship wishes to communicate with me?" 
" Mr. Pickersgill, I feel that you have had cause 
of enmity against me, and that you have behaved with 
forbearance. I thank you for your considerate treat- 
ment of the ladies ; and I assure you, that I feel no 
resentment for what has passed." 

" My lord, I am quite satisfied with what you have 
said; and I only hope that, in future, you will not 
interfere with a poor smuggler, who may be striving, 
by a life of danger and privation, to procure subsistence 
for himself and, perhaps, his family. I stated to these 
ladies my intention of anchoring the yacht this night 
at Cowes, and leaving her as soon as she was in safety. 



CONCLUSION. 359 



Your unexpected presence will only make this differ- 
ence, which is, that I must previously obtain your 
lordship's assurance that those with you, will allow me 
and my men to quit her without molestation, after we 
have performed this service." 

" I pledge you my word, Mr. Pickersgill, and I 
thank you into the bargain. I trust you will allow 
me to offer some remuneration." 

" Most certainly not, my lord." 

" At all events, Mr. Pickersgill, if, at any other time, 
I can be of service, you may command me." 

Pickersgill made no reply, 

"Surely, Mr. Pickersgill, " 

" Pickersgill ! how I hate that name ! " said the 
smuggler, musing. " I beg your lordship's pardon — 
If I may require your assistance for any of my unfor- 
tunate companions " 

"Not for yourself, Mr. Pickersgill?" said Mrs. Lascelles. 

" Madam, I smuggle no more." 

" For the pleasure I feel in hearing that resolution, Mr. 
Pickersgill," said Cecilia, " take my hand, and thanks." 

" And mine," said Mrs. Lascelles, half crying. 

" And mine, too," said Lord B., rising up. 

Pickersgill passed the back of his hand across his 
eyes, turned round, and left the cabin. 

"I'm so happy !" said Mrs. Lascelles, bursting into tears. 



360 CONCLUSION. 



" He's a magnificent fellow/' observed Lord B. 
" Come, let us all go on deck." 

"You have not seen my aunt, papa." 

" True ; I '11 go in to her, and then follow you." 

The ladies went upon deck. Cecilia entered into 
conversation with Mr. Stewart, giving him a narrative 
of what had happened. Mrs. Lascelles sat abaft at the 
taffrail, with her pretty hand supporting her cheek, 
looking very much a la Juliette, 

" Mrs. Lascelles," said Pickersgill, " before we part, 
allow me to observe, that it is you who have induced 
me to give up my profession " 

"Why me, Mr. Pickersgill?" 

" You said that you did not like it." 

Mrs. Lascelles felt the force of the compliment. 
" You said, just now, that you hated the name of 
Pickersgill : why do you call yourself so ?" 

" It was my smuggling name, Mrs. Lascelles." 

" And now, that you have left off smuggling, pray 
what may be the name we are to call you by?" 

" I cannot resume it, till I have not only left this 
vessel, but shaken hands with, and bid farewell to, my 
companions; and by that time, Mrs. Lascelles, I shall 



be away 


from you 


55 










" But 


I Ve a 


great 


curiosity to 


know 


it, 


and 


a lady's 


curiosity 


must 


be gratified. 


You must 


call 



CONCLUSION. 361 



upon me some day and tell it me. Here is my 
address." 

Pickersgill received the card with a low bow ; and 
Lord B. coming on deck, Mrs. Lascelles hastened to 
meet him. 

The vessel was now passing tli2 Bridge at the 
Needles, and the smuggler piloted her on. As soon 
as th.2j were clear and well inside, the whole party 
went down into the cabin, Lord B. requesting Pickers- 
gill and Corbett to join him in a parting glass. Mr. 
Stewart, who had received the account of what had 
passed from Cecilia, was very attentive to Pickersgill, 
and took an opportunity of saying, that he was sorry 
that he had said or done any thing to annoy him. 
Every one recovered his spirits; and all was good 
humour and mirth, because Miss Ossulton adhered to 
her resolution of not quitting the cabin till she could 
quit the yacht. At ten o'clock the yacht was anchored. 
Pickersgill took his leave of the honourable company, 
and went in his boat with his men; and Lord B. was 
again in possession of his vessel, although he had not 
a ship's company. Maddox recovered his usual tone ; 
and the cook nourished his knife, swearing that he 
should like to see the smuggler who would again 
order him to dress cutlets a F ombre Chinoise. 

The yacht had remained three days at Cowes, when 



;] a 



362 CONCLUSION. 



Lord B. received a letter from Pickersgill, stating that 
the men of his vessel had been captured, and would 
be condemned, in consequence of their having the 
gentlemen on board, who were bound to appear against 
them, to prove that they had sunk the brandy. Lord 
B. paid all the recognisances, and the men were 
liberated for want of evidence. 

It was about two years after this that Cecilia 
Ossulton, who was sitting at her work-table in deep 
mourning for her aunt, was presented with a letter 
by the butler. It was from her friend Mrs. Lascelles, 
informing her that she was married again to a Mr. 
Davenant, and intended to pay her a short visit on 
her way to the Continent. Mr. and Mrs. Davenant 
arrived the next day ; and when the latter introduced her 
husband, she said to Miss Ossulton, " Look, Cecilia dear, 
and tell me if you have ever seen Davenant before." 

Cecilia looked earnestly. " I have, indeed," cried 
she at last, extending her hand with warmth ; - and 
happy am I to meet with him again." 

For in Mr. Davenant she recognised her old ac- 
quaintance, the captain of the Happy-go-Lucky, Jack 
Pickersgill, the smuggler. 



rillNTRD I1V WILLIAM WIT.l'OC K SO N , TtOM.S BVll DINGS, V ETTI5K LANK. 



